Dallas Cowboys: 5 Cut candidates fighting for a spot at training camp

2. Anthony Brown, Cornerback

Last year, the Dallas Cowboys took a huge risk when they let Byron Jones walk in free agency. Jones, who had a breakout season in 2018, and then played well in 2019 even if he wasn’t at the same level of the prior year, signed a massive deal with the Miami Dolphins.

Now, it’s easy to say Dallas paid the wrong player since they elected to give Jaylon Smith a big contract instead of Jones, but they do deserve some credit for letting Jones walk. To put it simply, Byron Jones was a major bust for Miami in 2020 as pointed out by Lucas Mascherin of The Landry Hat.

"“Last season with the Dolphins, Jones did not play that well. He only made six plays on the ball, gave up 17.6 yards per completion and a 60.3 percent completion percentage.”"

Having said all that, Dallas still didn’t do enough to replace Jones and they still shouldn’t have paid Jaylon Smith. All of these things can be true — even if some want to argue it differently.

Looking ahead to 2021, the Cowboys’ secondary is still a major question mark but they have brought in a lot of young talent. Trevon Diggs is entering his second season and could be the No. 1 corner. There’s also Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright, two rookies Dan Quinn really likes.

Dallas also re-signed Jourdan Lewis, all of which makes it hard for Anthony Brown to make the team this season. Brown, who is the highest-paid corner on the team according to OverTheCap.com, has had his share of great moments but has also been injury-prone.

Brown has missed 15 games in the past two seasons and that alone could hurt him as he looks to make this roster. If he doesn’t prove to be head and shoulders ahead of the others around him, Brown could be looking for a new home soon.