Coming into the offseason, one of the goals that the Dallas Cowboys had was to upgrade their secondary, namely the cornerback position. Trevon Diggs has cemented himself as one of the premier cornerbacks in the NFL, but opposite of him, things were looking shaky.
With Anthony Brown hitting free agency and Jourdain Lewis recovering from an injury, the team was in need of some help. They made a big splash early in the offseason, acquiring cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts.
Adding Gilmore to the lineup opposite of Diggs gives the Cowboys one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL. But, depth remained a concern as the team still needed players behind them. Some aid came via the 2023 NFL Draft.
With their sixth-round pick, No. 178 overall, the Cowboys selected Eric Scott Jr. out of Southern Miss. Possessing elite size, standing 6’2” and weighing 202 pounds, Scott is someone that can develop into a very good player under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
With Diggs in and out of the lineup this offseason and Nahshon Wright dealing with a minor knee issue, the opportunity to get extensive reps was presented to Scott. Per Todd Archer of ESPN, it sounds like he took full advantage.
“When you see a guy wanting the moment to go compete, like, you know, I’m balling my fists up and saying, ‘I ain’t leaving here,’ that’s what I’m looking for specifically for the rookies,” Quinn said. “That kind of mindset and attitude is really what it takes for a young player to assert themselves into these moments because that responsibility is really to say, ‘Hey, man, can we count on you when it’s there?’ Them learning to do that early on, that’s a big deal, knowing that like the amount of work that goes into to say, ‘I’m down for this challenge.’ I’ve seen that from Eric so far.”
Scott likely won’t be more than a depth piece as a rookie as the aforementioned Wright, DaRon Bland and when healthy Lewis, are all ahead of him on the depth chart. But, the reps that he has been getting during the offseason practices will benefit him in the long run.
If the Cowboys get into a pinch during the season, Quinn certainly wants to know which players he can and cannot count on. If Scott can keep up this level of performance during training camp while heading into the regular season, his number is one that the defensive coaches will not hesitate to call.
