Derek Carr vs. Byron Jones
Here’s the one that should have football fans excited. Let’s take the best emerging star on the Raiders offense and pin him against the best emerging star on the Cowboys defense. So what do you got? Well, it’s Raiders quarterback Derek Carr versus Cowboys safety Byron Jones. What a treat.
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Carr had a great first game in Todd Downing’s offense. Yes, that pick to Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson was atrocious, but Carr was close to perfect otherwise.
He looks to be back to near-MVP form in his first game back from a fractured fibula. To think Blake Bortles and Johnny Manziel went ahead of him in the 2014 NFL Draft…
As for Jones, this will be his Cowboys defense before too long. Sure, it’s still the Sean Lee show in the middle of the Dallas defense, but he gets hurt all the time.
Jones has such promise at safety that the Cowboys felt semi-okay with letting players like Morris Claiborne and Barry Church walk in free agency.
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Expect a chess match between the Carr and Jones. Clearly, Carr has the upper hand, but Jones has to be on the short list of breakout stars in 2017. For Dallas to win the ultra-competitive NFC East, Jones will have to play like a Pro Bowler as the best player on that Cowboys defense. This Raiders offense can be as good as Carr is willing to drive it.