How Morris Claiborne is Going to Help the Cowboys This Year

Morris Claiborne is the new rookie defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys. He got hyped up in the draft, but before that he played second fiddle to Tyrann Mathieu at LSU. The worst part is that Claiborne is a better defensive back than Mathieu and the only reason Mathieu got all the hype and plays he did was because SEC quarterbacks were too scared to throw Claiborne's way. I am not taking anything away from Mathieu because he made the plays plus some when the opportunity arose. Claiborne was probably the second best player in the draft and will become an elite defensive back if he stays healthy and away from trouble. But, Claiborne brings more to the Cowboys than hype and a first round draft pick.

Let's start with the obvious. Claiborne, along with Brandon Carr, will bring toughness and a new energy to a Cowboys secondary that has been the laughing stock of the NFC East, and NFL for that matter, for the last five or six years. Claiborne has some of the best hands and ball skills in a defensive back since Deion Sanders. He has a knack for making big plays and big hits, though that may not matter with how little hitting is allowed in the NFL today. At almost six foot, he brings the height to cover taller receivers in the league, but also has the speed to contain the faster ones.

Claiborne will also help with the special teams by returning kicks and punts. This will provide a more explosive and tougher athlete back there than the guys that have been back there for the Cowboys the last few years. I'm sorry but Olgetree never really did anything for them back there. It will also keep guys like Felix Jones and Dez Bryant healthier, hopefully. Dez seems to be to fragile to do anything besides catch passes.

The last place Claiborne is going to be able to improve the team is in practice. He will give the receivers, such as Bryant and Miles Austin, better looks the the overrated and underachieving defensive backs of the past, like Terrance Newman who just got to old, and Mike Jenkins, who was another guy who couldn't stay on the field. I believe that Claiborne will give Romo a better look in practice as well and make him rise to a new level having better practices.

Watch out for this rookie defensive back in the years to come, and let's see if he turns into a superstar like Darrelle Revis. The Cowboys have a chance to turn things around this year and compete in the East with the Giants with this new look secondary to go along with a pretty good front seven and a healthy offense.

Here's what the Cowboys are getting with Claiborne: