Cowboys’ Jourdan Lewis provides vital depth in an unproven CB room
For the first time in a long time, the Cowboys are solid at the starting cornerback position. Trevon Diggs is one of the NFL’s biggest young stars and Stephon Gilmore is the perfect veteran presence to pair opposite him.
Add in DaRon Bland, 2022’s surprise nickel standout, and Dallas is looking pretty at the top of their cornerback depth chart. Yet, behind those starting posts, things get dicey for the Cowboys. 2021 draft picks Kelvin Joseph (Pick 44) and Nahshon Wright (Pick 100) were supposed to be pushing for starting positions by now.
The one depth player holding it all together appears to be seventh-year CB, Jourdan Lewis.
Top-100 draft picks are expected to develop into viable starters at some point. Neither Joseph nor Wright have shown they are capable of much more than special teams and spot duty on defense.
If Dallas really thought either was on the cusp of breaking out, they likely wouldn’t have traded for the veteran Gilmore, who makes considerably more and came at the cost of a draft pick.
Rookies Eric Scott Jr. and Myles Brooks could have something to offer. But Scott projects best as special teams weapon early and Brooks is a UDFA so expectations for 2023 should probably be tempered.
Then there are C.J. Goodwin and Israel Mukuamu to factor in. Goodwin is a career special teams player and Mukuamu is still listed as a safety. While Mukuamu can cover nickel CB in a pinch, neither are appetizing solutions should something happen to outside men, Diggs or Gilmore.
For as great as the top of the Cowboys CB depth chart looks for 2023, the bottom is a grab bag of unknowns. Any injury threatens to have significant consequences.
Lewis, a third round pick in the 2017 draft, entered the offseason as a possible cap casualty. With a cap number of $5,872,550, Lewis is more costly than the typical CB4. But given the slow development of players like Wright and Joseph, the depth Lewis provides may be too vital to part with.
Lewis is an aggressive tackler, a capable blitzer and versatile enough to play slot or boundary. Per Pro Football Focus’ tracking, Lewis has 904 career snaps outside and 2,131 inside at nickel. He has experience the Cowboys could use in 2023, even if he doesn’t crack the top-3 (although he could challenge Bland for the top nickel role).
Dan Quinn has spoken glowingly of Lewis in the past and holds him in high regard. Unless one of the aforementioned former draft picks drops jaws in training camp, Lewis is a safe bet to make the final roster.
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