Maurice Canady is impressing in first-team reps at Cowboys training camp

The former Jet has injected his own jet fuel into his Cowboys training camp snaps,

Maurice Canady didn’t play a down of football last season. The former Virginia Cavalier, who logged temporary stints with the Ravens and Jets before inking a deal with Dallas in 2020, was one of several athletes to opt out of the annual gridiron grind amidst the height of COVID-19.

Canady, who’s registered just one career interception in 32 career games, didn’t necessarily shake the franchise’s foundations with his departure. The team brought him in with rudimentary expectations: fill out the corner’s role with experience and tenacious play, and while Dallas certainly could’ve used extra patronage to support its backline, Canady’s presence wouldn’t have halfway sufficed as a solution for the multitude of problems the unit faced. His usage would have primarily resided in special teams contributions.

But don’t let that take away from his value. Canady is under contract for a one-year deal worth $1.25 million which will go into effect at the beginning of this season due to his opt out. And right now, he’s doing all that he can to make the most of the time he’s been apportioned at the Star.

Time isn’t the only thing he’s being granted either.

Canady has taken numerous first-team reps in the slot after primary slot-man Jourdan Lewis was hit with injury a few weeks back. According to various sources at training camp, he looks every bit the part of a starting CB. He’s snagged a number of takeaways, and has broken up several passes against both first- and second-team offenses.

Canady is a rangy defensive back with a skillset that complements Dan Quinn’s defense exquisitely. He possesses remarkable jumping ability (38-inch vertical) and has flashed adequate ball skills. Plus, at 27, he boasts experience that sets him apart as one of the more tested vets on the roster.

But at the same time, his age could be a deterrent to his candidacy for long-term regency. The ‘Boys have a slew of young guns on their corner depth chart, and most (Joseph, Wright, Diggs, Mukuamu) have physical tools that trump Canady’s. He also lacks in the strength department, and hasn’t shown us much yet in the form of stout run support.

What Canady is showing through camp though, is this: he is a viable candidate to see valuable time in Dallas’ secondary this year.

As we have been doing all throughout camp we recapped Sunday’s practice (with highlights included) over on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel. Make sure to subscribe to our channel (which you can do right here) so you don’t miss any of the videos that we are putting out. We will be having a livestream on Tuesday evening to recap practice and discuss what we saw!