FRISCO, Texas- The cornerback room in Dallas is arguably overflowing with talent heading into the 2022 season, but that depends on the group staying healthy and continuing the upward trajectory that has been established to this point. And with that, the Cowboys enjoy some good news when it comes to Jourdan Lewis, the starting cornerback who has often been a stealing machine for the club.
He’s come a long way in his recovery, as Lewis himself described his recovery after the Cowboys’ first practice of training camp at The Star in Frisco. The six-year veteran hit the ground running and when asked if he was on track to play Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 11, Lewis’ answer was sure.
“Oh yeah,” he said with a smile.
Lewis suffered a hamstring injury in the first practice against the Los Angeles Chargers last week and was ruled out of any additional preseason snaps because of it.
He was never scheduled to see playing time in any of the three preseason games anyway, but his return to the field will make the Cowboys’ group of defenses that much more formidable when they battle Brady and his stable of offensive weapons.
That group could well include rookie fifth-round pick DaRon Bland, who, even before Lewis’s injury, was impressive in camp. But with Lewis gone, Bland has seen his practice reps rise sharply and his production and impact have increased in proportion to that increase in playing time.
If Bland can get the go-ahead to remain on the final roster next week, a four-man rotation is created between Lewis and Bland (who has shown he can play all three CB positions) along with Anthony Brown and the first team. All-Pro Trevon Diggs. Former rookie second-round pick Kelvin Joseph also has a chance to survive cuts as he battles Nahshon Wright for what would presumably be one of the remaining available seats.
Lewis recorded 26 starts over the past two seasons and after signing a three-year extension in 2021, put together a career season that saw him post career best numbers in pass breakups (11), interceptions (3), fumbles forced (1), fumble recoveries (2) and combined tackles (61).
Having him on the field to start the season — against Brady and then Joe Burrow in Week 2 — will go a long way toward helping the Cowboys get off to a fast start in 2022.
We want to thank the author of this short article for this remarkable web content
Jourdan Lewis on track for week 1 vs. Bucs