While most of the Cowboys secondary is in flux, veteran cornerback Anthony Brown is one of the few with a clear future in Dallas.
Well, sort of clear.
Brown signed a three year, $15.5 million extension last offseason, before having an up-and-down 2020 campaign that included multiple interceptions but also six games missed to injury. Brown has shown he can be a capable starter and solid role player for the Cowboys, so where should he fit in the 2021 plans?
Doing exactly that, of course!
Anthony Brown is a former day three draft pick that has started 43 games since 2016. He's played in multiple roles, moving between the outside and the slot corner positions under different coaching regimes, and has made a handful of huge impact plays every season. He's not an ideal CB1 or CB2, but he is the perfect depth chess piece for an NFL secondary.
So the question for Anthony Brown really isn't about him, it will be about what's around him.
Can the Cowboys improve enough at those top two cornerback spots to allow Brown to shine in his own role? Or will he be forced to live up to an unfair billing?
As of right now the Cowboys really only have Trevon Diggs and Anthony Brown as realistic week one starters on the roster. Both Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie are entering unrestricted free agency, and it's tough to gauge what the Cowboys plan to do with any of their salary cap dollars.
What they do have, though, is a top ten draft pick and a chance to potentially snag one of the top cornerbacks. Like a Caleb Farley or Patrick Surtain, either of which would fit in perfectly and fill a dire need for the Cowboys defense.
If they use that top ten pick elsewhere, though, Anthony Brown could be forced into the starting boundary corner job alongside Diggs in 2021.
So as we head towards both free agency and the NFL Draft, all we know about Anthony Brown's 2021 role in Dallas is…that there will be one.
