This time last year, Jameill Showers was trying to make the Dallas Cowboys roster as a quarterback. Now, he's trying to make it as a safety. The Cowboys moved Showers, who was on the practice squad, from QB to safety in the middle of last season and he's now working on fully acclimating to the position switch.
Secondary coach Joe Baker told Pro Football Talk that he's happy with Showers' progress, but Showers still has growing to do.
"I'm really happy with what Showers has done," Baker said. "He's turned his body from a quarterback body into a defensive back body, which looks a lot different. You can tell he looks slimmer. He’s moving a lot better. The whole athleticism part of it is so much different at that position, and so I’m really proud of how he’s worked. He’s still got a ways to go, but movement-wise in terms of his backpedaling, changing direction, all those things we do as defensive backs, he’s really doing a nice job."
Showers is working on getting from 230-pounds to a leaner 215-pounds. He's played some special teams and other positions since joining the Cowboys, but safety is now his only focus.
"That was the talk that me and coach [Jason] Garrett had in October whenever he first asked me to move was, we want you to focus on safety because you do well there, and it’ll give you a chance to move up on special teams," Showers said. "He was like, 'We don't want to put you in a position where you're a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none situation.' I definitely respect it, and I’m trying to work hard for it. I'm excited about it. I think it’ll give me more opportunities to play, especially special teams, things like that. I think it just kind of puts more on my resume as far as a football player, even if things don't work out here or wherever. Or even if they do, I'll have more that I can do. That’s what I heard is the more you can do, the longer you stay type of deal."
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The Cowboys lost two key safeties in free agency, Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox, giving Showers a better chance of actually making the roster. However, with holdovers Byron Jones, Jeff Heath and Kavon Frazier, plus offseason pickups like rookie Xavier Woods and veteran Robert Blanton, the odds aren't in Showers' favor.
Still, Showers' transition will be an interesting side story in training camp for the Cowboys.
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