Dallas Cowboys add cornerback Worley at crowded position. What will it mean for Awuzie?
Despite selecting cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and Reggie Robinson in the second and fourth rounds in last week’s NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys weren’t done bolstering the position.
The team has also reached a deal with veteran cornerback Daryl Worley on a one-year deal. Worley initially announced that he was joining the Cowboys on social media.
Worley, 25, a third-round pick of the Carolina Panthers in 2016, has also played with Philadelphia Eagles and has been with the Las Vegas Raiders since 2018.
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Worley played in 15 games last season, recording an interception, a fumble recovery, 8 passes defensed and 58 tackles.
What’s most appealing to the Cowboys are his size, aggressiveness and flexibility. He has five career interceptions and has also seen time at free safety.
Considering the number of cornerbacks now on the roster, including Diggs, Robinson, Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, Anthony Brown and others, one or two players might get a look at safety.
Worley could be an option but it will most likely be Awuzie, the former second-round pick in 2017 who has struggled in coverage the last two years and was benched late in 2019.
Scouting director Will McClay, speaking on SiriusXM NFL Radio with Gil Brandt and Alex Marvez, said a position switch for Awuzie was one of the considerations.
“One thing that coach (Mike) McCarthy likes to talk about is the flexibility of the defense and the flexibility of players to match up and move guys around,” McClay said on the show. “There is an opportunity to move Chido back there, as well as some of our other pieces.”
And sources said that Awuzie, who played safety in college at Colorado, is the prime candidate to make the move.
With Awuzie in the final year of his contract, a potential move does not bode well for his future with the Cowboys.
Brandt said he thinks there is a good chance Diggs and Robinson start at cornerback for the Cowboys in 2020.
This story was originally published April 29, 2020 at 2:03 PM.
