Cowboys rookie defensive back Byron Jones is preparing for the New York Jets with no concrete idea of where exactly he’ll be playing.
This goes back to Morris Claiborne, who’s dealing with a hamstring issue suffered in the 28-7 loss to the Packers in Green Bay last Sunday. Claiborne hasn’t practiced all week, and already missed two games earlier in the year with a sore hamstring. If he’s unable to go, Jones will play corner. If Claiborne does play, the Cowboys’ first round pick will play safety.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, this is nothing new for Jones.
"I'm used to it," Jones said, per Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas. "It's just what I do, what they got me for. It's my job.”
The Cowboys understand that it takes a special kind of player to do what Jones is doing, particularly in his rookie season.
"I think it's a really good thing to be able to do it, and I think that's something we've really been very aware of since we've gotten him here, that very question, 'Have we not given him a chance to succeed at either spot if we move him spot to spot?’” Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said. "But he's never shown any hesitation to be able to handle it. He embraces it and I think he plays well on both spots. It's not ideal. You have to be able to get your players in the right spots and you have to be able to get the right guys out there to absorb injuries over the course of the year. He's been the piece that has allowed us to do that."
