5 Dallas Cowboys who will improve under new regime
By Randy Gurzi
5. Chidobe Awuzie, Cornerback
There hasn’t been any player more targeted by criticism over the past couple of season than cornerback Chidobe Awuzie. The second-round pick out of Colorado has been maligned over his short NFL career as fans have grown tired of seeing him helplessly swing at the ball while not turning his head around to locate it.
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The frustration would be all over social media but that anger was misguided. Awuzie wasn’t keeping his head focused on the receiver because he didn’t know how to play the position. He was doing this because that’s what he was told to do by the outgoing staff.
While fans loved defensive back coach Kris Richard for his fiery attitude, it had started to become apparent near the end of his tenure that he was a part of the defense’s struggles, rather than the savior he was made out to be. That’s even become more evident since his departure.
First, George Iloka came out and said he was told not to try and disguise what he was doing defensively as Richard preferred to dare teams to throw on them. He also limited the players according to a defensive back trainer by the name of Clay Mack — who is not only one of the most respected in the business, but also happens to work with Awuzie.
With Mike Nolan now running the defense, there’s a much better chance that Awuzie will be allowed to do what made him a top-tier prospect coming out of Colorado, which was to play the ball. Doing that should help him tremendously in 2020 and the team can use that with the departure of Byron Jones this offseason.