Dallas Cowboys: Letting Byron Jones walk the correct move

The Dallas Cowboys are apparently letting Byron Jones leave in free agency. It’s a wildly unpopular move but the front office is doing the right thing.

It’s not an easy decision to make as the Dallas Cowboys finds themselves in a tough spot with Byron Jones. A former first-round pick, Jones started his career at safety before moving to cornerback after defensive backs coach Kris Richard made the switch.

Jones excelled there, even being nominated to the Pro Bowl in 2018. In 2019, his play wasn’t to the same level but he was still one of the top-rated cover corners in the NFL. And now, he’s looking for a new contract.

Despite the success he’s had with Dallas, the front office refuses to pay him a long-term deal. In their defense, they’re also trying to work on deals for Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, and Robert Quinn. That leaves Jones on the outside looking in — and it hasn’t sat well with fans.

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Cowboys fans are big supporters of Jones who has lined up against some of the best wideouts in the NFL and held his own. His detractors, however, see it differently, claiming Jones isn’t a game-changer due to his lack of interceptions — in five seasons he has two, with one coming on a meaningless Hail Mary.

Those who still want Jones in Big D won’t even discuss the lack of turnovers created by Jones. Instead, they jump right into the low number of passes he allowed, which puts him on par with studs such as Stephon Gilmore and TreDavious White. However, both Gilmore and White still found ways to get the bad back for their offenses.

Last season alone Gilmore had six picks and has never once had a season with none. As for White, he has 12 in three seasons which includes six in 2019.

None of this is to suggest Jones is a bad corner or to say he doesn’t deserve big money. However, it’s proof that there are players capable of limiting the No. 1 receiver while also getting turnovers and let’s be real, in this day and age the defensive back that creates turnovers gets paid.

The rules are so heavily favored toward the wide receivers that cover corners such as Jones have become less valuable. Sure, it’s nice to see a stop but that doesn’t mean as much if the defense stays on the field and allows the next pass to be completed — and sadly for the Cowboys that seems to happen a lot.

So while it’s hard to see a fan favorite such as Jones leave, the fact is the team is making the right call. They’re prioritizing the more important positions while also setting a budget for what they’re willing to pay a corner.

This is what good teams do, and in the past, Dallas hasn’t done this enough — and they were destroyed just as bad for that as they are for being unwilling to back up the Brinks truck to give Byron whatever he wants.

Dallas assumedly wants to get better in the secondary. They know they’re not getting it done and their lack of turnovers has become a joke in recent seasons.

Instead of being picked on for not just paying whatever their players want, they should be applauded for having the belief that they can improve. And for realizing their defense isn’t good enough being average. They have to start creating turnovers in order to be a better team overall. And this season, there are several defensive backs available in the draft that can potentially improve this area for Dallas.

It’s unfortunate for Jones but the team is making the right call for themselves in this situation. Instead of paying to stay average on defense, they’re looking for ways to become better. They just have to deal with some growing pains along the way.