The Cowboys haven't seen much return on their investment in Morris Claiborne, but that doesn't mean they're about to give up on the former first-round pick.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones was asked Tuesday if Claiborne has done enough in his first three seasons to justify the club exercising a fifth-year option that would trigger a huge pay day for the cornerback in 2016.
"Yes," Jones said from the Senior Bowl, according to The Dallas Morning News. "Yes, I do."
Claiborne has missed 21 out of a possible 50 games in his first three seasons and is coming off a ruptured patellar tendon in his left knee that ended his 2014 season after four weeks. He also underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier this month. Even when healthy, Claiborne has struggled to find consistency at the pro level.
Consider us unconvinced the Cowboys actually pick up the option, which would end up guaranteeing Claiborne in the neighborhood of $11 million in 2016. A ruptured patellar is serious business, and the arduous rehab of that injury won't be helped any by the scope of his other knee.
Claiborne has a lot to prove on multiple levels in 2015. The Cowboys shouldn't be in any rush to make a deeper financial commitment.
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