In his first year of college, Dallas Cowboys cornerback and fifth-round draft pick Caelen Carson earned a nickname that would make any defensive back in the nation proud as heck.
Seatbelt.
The reason? He was locking everybody up. Doing so as a true freshman, his roommate promptly gave him the moniker.
Coming into the NFL, Carson's biggest calling card is his flexibility. At college, he lined up primarily at wide corner but when needed moved inside. In 2023, he essentially split the snaps 50/50 in a couple of games, moving around as needed.
"That was a big thing with them drafting me and people who were looking at me in the draft," Carson told reporters during rookie minicamp. "Just versatility, I think I can play inside and outside, so I think I can show that."
As passing offenses take ahold of the NFL, a big talking point over the last few years has been the rise of the nickelback, with some coaches going as far as calling it the most difficult position on defense.
Corners that man the slot need to worry about fitting the run and about making the tackle in the box all while also taking care of wide receivers running up the seam on vertical routes. It's a tough job.
That's why it was almost perfect when Carson dismissed all that talk and laid out why he believes playing out wide and playing inside is the same thing.
"Not really," he said when asked if playing outside and inside was very different. "Because you're covering somebody regardless and then you're in zone (coverage), you're in zone regardless. Not too much a difference."
Carson will have a very unique mentor on the Cowboys roster in that sense as DaRon Bland's career path had him play inside as a rookie before he took on a role outside following Trevon Diggs' injury early in the 2023 season. Bland went on to win All-Pro.
Carson claims he's comfortable wherever they ask him to play and expects to be a Bland-type player in that sense.
"I think I can cover," Carson added. "It doesn't really matter to me. I feel comfortable anywhere on the field, corner, nickel, anything. I think I can cover anywhere."
I don't know about you, but hearing this from a player who was picked because of his versatility feels absolutely perfect and says everything about the player the Cowboys got.
Even still, fans should temper their expectations as Carson is likely going to fill a special teams role before he sniffs the field as a defender as the Cowboys are set starting lineup-wise with Diggs, Bland, and Jourdan Lewis.
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