Any good work the Dallas Cowboys did this offseason went up in smoke when they traded Micah Parsons to the Packers. Parsons was predictably electric in his debut on Sunday, but he wasn’t the only former Cowboy who delivered a show-stopping performance in new threads.
It should surprise absolutely nobody that Jourdan Lewis shined in his first game for the Jaguars. Reports out of Jacksonville all summer raved about Lewis' leadership and impact on an otherwise young secondary, and that manifested as the Jaguars rolled over the Panthers to start their season.
Often unheralded for the little things he does that contribute to winning, Lewis' name was all over the stat sheet on Sunday. He racked up an interception, a fumble recovery, three pass breakups and a quarterback hit on a perfectly timed blitz that prevented a likely long touchdown.
It took one game for Cowboys to be proven wrong for losing Jourdan Lewis
Talk about endearing yourself to a new fan base.
While the Cowboys' secondary performed better than expected in Week 1, it goes without saying they'd be better off with Lewis patrolling the nickel.
DaRon Bland struggled more than usual against the run. No cornerback in the NFL had more missed tackles than Bland's two against the Eagles, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). While uncharacteristic of Bland, he is clearly more comfortable playing outside.
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Bland will play anywhere he's told now that he got a big extension, but regardless a trio of Bland, Lewis and Trevon Diggs is markedly better than a trio of Bland, Diggs and Kaiir Elam, who got beat deep by Jahan Dotson in Week 1 for Philly's only explosive passing play of the game.
While the Cowboys pushed hard to re-sign Lewis, they were outbid by the Jaguars. The former third-round pick got a three-year, $30 million deal with a handsome $20 million fully guaranteed.
That's a big contract for a cornerback who just turned 30 in August and has a long history of lower body injuries. However, it's impossible to put a number on Lewis' value. His bulldog mentality set the tone for the rest of the defense and he was a vocal leader in the locker room.
It's only Week 1, but losing Lewis feels like a blunder that will haunt the Cowboys all season regardless of how the defense bounces back after last Thursday's loss.