Jourdan Lewis named Cowboys "bounce-back" player for 2021 by ESPN

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The Dallas Cowboys were atrocious in 2020 going 6-10. When a team has a season like this it usually leads to players needed to have bounce-back campaigns. Dallas has several candidates for that distinction for the upcoming season. Today, we take a closer look at Jourdan Lewis.

Ezekiel Elliott would be the first name that comes to mind. He had career lows in rushing yards (979), yards per rush (4.0), and rushing touchdowns (6). Players like Dak Prescott, Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, Leighton Vander Esch, and Jaylon Smith cloud also have that title. However, an unlikely name was picked by ESPN for Dallas in 2021, Jourdan Lewis.

“Lewis took on a full-time role from the slot in 2019 after spending his 2017 rookie campaign on the outside and 2018 season as a reserve. He held his own in that first season, ranking 15th among 47 qualifying defensive backs in PFF grade when covering the slot. Lewis then hit a bump in the road before the 2020 season, suffering an ankle injury ahead of Week 1. When he made his return in Week 2, he didn’t look like the same player. His slot coverage grade dropped to the fourth-worst among qualifiers for the season.”- Pro Football Focus

Lewis signed a three-year, $16.5 million deal in March with $8 million in guaranteed money. That alone is motivation enough for the former Michigan Wolverine to want to play at a high level. But, there’s another factor in play at the moment, competition.

Veteran Maurice Canady has been one of the stars of training camp for the Cowboys. Once Lewis went down with an injury, Canady took full advantage and has been getting a plethora of pass breakups and interceptions. This makes for quite the battle for who will get the lion’s share of the snaps at nickel cornerback this season.

Just recently, Jourdan Lewis Today, returned to practice. He had a good showing in the Cowboys joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams during Hall of Fame weekend and backed it up with an excellent day of practice on Wednesday, making plays against Michael Gallup.

Jourdan Lewis made some nice plays today. Had an impressive PBU in 1v1s where he literally ripped the ball from Michael Gallup’s hands.

Lewis also had a tip drill INT off a Trevon Diggs PBU in the end zone, though the play was waved off by an offside flag.

— David Helman (@davidhelman_) August 18, 2021

ESPN’s Todd Archer on Lewis’s outlook for the 2021 season.

“You don’t want to give Lewis an out for last season, but essentially everybody struggled defensively in 2020. He missed some time in training camp with a hamstring strain, but his practice against the Rams last week showed his value in how he defended DeSean Jackson and Cooper Kupp at times. He has the smarts to know how to protect his weaknesses and the instincts to understand how offenses are attacking the slot. New coordinator Dan Quinn will give Lewis — and everybody on the defense — a boatload of confidence they might not have had in 2020.”

The Cowboys take on the Houston Texans on Saturday in the “dress rehearsal” game. Lewis could see a lot of action, and if so, it’ll be a great opportunity for him to put his name back at the top of the nickel cornerback spot.