Confidence in Jourdan Lewis allowed Cowboys to cut Nolan Carroll

Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis was beaten for the game-winning touchdown last Sunday when Green Bay’s Davante Adams got behind him and Aaron Rodgers floated a perfect pass to push the Packers to a 35-31 victory over Dallas.

But that hasn’t dampened the Cowboys’ view of Lewis going forward. In fact, the Cowboys showed just how confident they were in their rookie when they released veteran defensive back Nolan Carroll earlier this week.

“He gets beat, everybody gets beat, it’s the National Football League,” coach Jason Garrett said. “But how do you respond to that? He’s responded really well.”

Lewis missed most of training camp and the season opener with a hamstring injury, but has shown enough promise in the past four games to make the Cowboys feel he’s a long-term piece after using a third-round pick on the Michigan product.

Lewis had an interception in his first career game at Denver in Week 2, and has 19 tackles in four games.　

“He’s a really, really good athlete,” Garrett said. “He’s got excellent quickness, balance, change of direction, very good ball skills. He’s got instincts for the game. He’s got a competitive spirit. He keeps coming back, so just a lot to like about him. 　

“He’s a young player. He’s learning every week, and I think he’s getting better every week cause he really does take the right approach.”

This story was originally published October 12, 2017 at 5:57 PM with the headline "Confidence in Jourdan Lewis allowed Cowboys to cut Nolan Carroll."