Byron Jones introduced himself to Dez Bryant on Tuesday.
Jones lined up against Bryant in a one-on-one drill and, at the snap, took off on a go-route. That’s a matchup Bryant usually wins, just in general, but the Cowboys’ 2015 first round pick stayed with the All-Pro step-for-step down the field and ultimately swatted the ball away for an incompletion.
“He had my right arm,” Bryant told the team’s official website afterward. “I practice on my left and my right, I had my eyes glued to the ball. He just made an outstanding play. He ripped it out. I had to congratulate him because I sure was trying to bring it in.”
Jones has had an impressive, tiring first week of camp. The Cowboys have him running through drills as a corner and a safety, and lining up as the dime back on 11-on-11 work, opposite the tight end. The rookie has embraced the challenge.
“I like it. I feel like they’re trying to challenge me,” Jones said. “They’re trying to say ‘Hey Byron, go out there. Let’s see what you’ve got--let’s see what you’ve got at dime, let’s see what you’ve got at safety and at corner. I think it’s a great challenge every day.”
