The Dallas Cowboys have more talent at the cornerback position right now than they have in many seasons. It’s going to take a lot for a dark horse to crack the 53-man roster, but rookie Charvarious Ward is starting to get noticed.
Yesterday’s practice was a standout performance for the undrafted rookie from Middle Tennessee State. Ward was mentioned by several of the Cowboys’ staff writers as the star of the day in their recap.
Here’s a sample of the praise that was heaped on Charvarious yesterday:
“In a two-on-two passing drill, he made an over-the-head interception of Dak Prescott’s deep throw to Michael Gallup. Then later in a team drill, he had a breakup and also tight coverage on Tavon Austin, basically forcing the incompletion down the sideline. Remember it, No. 40, Charvarius Ward.” (Mickey Spagnola)
“A week-plus into camp, this is an opportunity for young guys to show they’re deserving of snaps in the first preseason game. Charvarius Ward did that today. He was all over the field as a reserve corner…” (Rob Phillips)
“Any time a guy on the back-end of the depth chart has a great day, I have to take notice. I don’t think I had said the name ‘Charvarius Ward’ more than once or twice during this camp — up until Saturday night, when he took over the practice. ” (David Helman)
Not only is Ward showing up on the practice field, but he looks the part of the new Cowboys cornerback. He’s a lengthy 6’1″ and nearly 200-pound CB, which fits the model that Kris Richard has brought over from Seattle.
Even before Charvarious became a Cowboy, he was an intriguing prospect in the 2018 draft class. One outlet called him the “most underrated CB” in this year’s group.
Still, finding a spot on the Dallas CB depth chart won’t be easy. Four spots are already allotted to Chidobe Awuzie, Byron Jones, Jourdan Lewis, and Anthony Brown.
That leaves two spots at the most, and maybe just one, for Ward, Duke Thomas, Kam Kelly, Marquez White, or anyone else who might stand out over the next month.
If he keeps having days like Saturday, though, Charvarious Ward could soon leave his competition in the dust.
