Photo Credit: Dallas Cowboys
FRISCO, TEXAS — Cowboys’ cornerback Chidobe Awuzie had his most impressive practice of training camp cut short on Monday due to an injury. He intercepted Dak Prescott on a ball intended for Cedrick Wilson and tweaked his leg in the process.
Mike McCarthy updated media this on Tuesday, “ nothing of serious nature. We will look at him today. “ As of last night the athletic trainers “ did not feel it was a major concern. “
Awuzie was present for the early portion of practice on Tuesday but did not participate in team drills.
In 2019, Awuzie was often an underappreciated player despite forcing 18 incompletions, third-most in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. With the absence of Byron Jones in free agency, he is now the leader of the cornerback room. One of the cowboys’ main focuses during the offseason was acquiring ‘ball hawk’ corners to add depth but the fourth-year veteran is not worried.
“ You never worry about competition, “ Awuzie discussed. “You’re always competing against yourself. I’m my biggest competitor with who I was, who I am, and who I am going to be tomorrow. In practice, or in offseason actually, I knew what I had to work on. Obviously, make big plays like any other corner and get the ball back and making my movements a little cleaner.”
He has predominantly been rotating reps with Daryl Worley at left cornerback. The competition is only elevating each player in the secondary to make the most of their opportunities and that is certainly the case for Awuzie. After a previous pick in camp, he stated, “ That is the expectation everyday. “
He has continued to make strides during camp with tight coverage and he has played the ball better in the air. Hopefully, he will be back on the gridiron soon. With Awuzie’s absence, rookie Trevon Diggs will get additional opportunities.
