Cavanaugh With Cowboys Training Camp Observations
By Jeff Cavanaugh | @JC1053
Lot of folks asked for a look at the secondary and I just finished watching the practice tape so here goes. Thanks to @BryanBroaddus for the amazing access and friendship. He's the best Dallas Cowboys resource on the planet, if you aren't following him on Twitter fix that.
Watching the tape of Byron Jones makes me feel better about the player I think he's going to be. In the one-on-ones he's doing a nice job of being physical at the line, and when he's beat on a route the athleticism and length helps him to close quickly and make plays on the ball. I really like when he's lined up close to the line on a TE. He makes it really tough on Jason Witten because he can get hands on him at the line and just follow the route knowing he's got the burst and length to make a play when the ball's coming.
Tyler Patmon has been the best CB in camp so far. We jumped on with Ben and Skin this morning and I put him third just because of the track of record of Scandrick and Carr but Broaddus is right, if I'm being honest about only what they've done on the field in the last week, Patmon is the best of the bunch. He's able to play the slot or the outside, and in the slot he's the rare guy that actually is quick enough and aggressive enough to get hands on Cole Beasley and Lucky Whitehead and make it hard for them to create separation.
Mo Claiborne is also a positive surprise. In the team work he covered a lot of different guys that different kinds of players and was good in coverage. Was able to stay with Beasley in and out of breaks which isn't easy to do, and played Terrance Williams well fighting him down the field and able to stay with him at the top of routes when a lot of guys will get moved.
Scandrick gets a pass because his knee has been bothering him and I feel like I know the type of player that he is, he's going to be fine.
Non-secondary quick hitters:
Ryan Russell the 5th round pick out of Purdue looks like he's got a good shot to make this team. He was way out of position in college playing in a 3-4 which isn't what he was recruited to do. It's just not a role he can do. As a 4-3 guy being asked to get upfield he's in a role he can perform. He actually beat Zack Martin in a 2 on 2 drill with a nice spin move that made OL coach Frank Pollack blow a gasket and make them re-do it. On other plays he's showing some good athletic ability especially when they're running twist stunts that let him get on the move and use quicks and power.
La'el Collins has got to a better job using his hands and feet together. When you look at him at his best it's in the running game mauling guys. In the pass game when he's punching while moving his feet he's able to do a really good job but he has a tendency to try and punch without moving his lower body and it leaves him out of position with a guy on the move who is now going by him and he's out of position and can't stop it. It's a fairly consistent issue that they're no doubt working on but it's worth noting again, that LG job belongs to Ron Leary and it's not close at this point.
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