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The Dallas Cowboys had high hopes for their defensive back unit going into the 2024 season. They had two All-Pro cornerbacks playing on the outside; DaRon Bland, the king of the Pick-6, and Trevon Diggs, who averages an interception every three games. The nickel corner, Jourdan Lewis, was one of the best slot corners in the league.
The safety room had two solid starters in Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson, plus backups Markquese Bell and Juanyeh Thomas had given Dallas quality defensive snaps. Unfortunately injuries kept the Cowboys from playing any combination of this unit together except for one game. And as time waits for no man, the defensive backs room is going to look a bit different in 2025. The question is, did Dallas upgrade the unit overall?
The defense as a whole is under new leadership, with Matt Eberflus taking over for Mike Zimmer. That trickles down to position coaches as well, as Al Harris is no longer in the building, replaced by Andre Curtis, one of several coaches who came over from Chicago with the new DC. As for the players on the field?
Losing Lewis, who signed a lucrative slot-corner free agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, could be crippling to the Dallas defense. Dallas traded a Day 3 selection for Kaiir Elam, a former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills still on his rookie contract.
The team then drafted ECU standout Shavon Revel Jr., who many considered to have first-round talent but an ACL injury had him available in the third. Both newcomers are outside corners, though, and Bland is an All-Pro on the outside as well. Moving him back to the slot could be a net negative.
Elam and Revel Jr. could each be used as insurance in case the Diggs injury sets his play back., but that leaves the Cowboys with minimal certainty inside. Israel Mukuamu played a successful playoff game in the slot a few seasons ago, but not much since then. Caelen Carson showed promise before a shoulder injury, but was never the same afterwards. Kemon Hall and Troy Pride Jr. are possibilities, but in reality are depth pieces and it wouldn't be a smart option to rely on them.
The safety room didn't change much. The veteran starters have gotten a year older, and the younger guys have gotten a year wiser. Have the four players intersected enough to get any new starters? Only time will tell.
Dallas added three possible safety options as undrafted free agents (UDFA). Alijah Clark, Zion Childress, and Mike Smith Jr. Both Bell and Thomas were prior UDFA players who are now major contributors, and if one of the new guys can do that, the unit could be improved.
The path to compensating for Lewis' departure hinges on how the new additions will deploy. The Cowboys would have to either see something Elam hasn't shown yet in three years, a Pro-Bowl caliber ability, or have a fully healthy Diggs return, or a fully healthy Revel step in and have a rookie-of-the year campaign. That would have to be combined with Bland moving back inside and playing at a similar level to where Lewis was.
There are way too many contingencies to consider this unit better than last season's.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys have changed defensive back depth, but have they improved?
Continue reading...
The safety room had two solid starters in Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson, plus backups Markquese Bell and Juanyeh Thomas had given Dallas quality defensive snaps. Unfortunately injuries kept the Cowboys from playing any combination of this unit together except for one game. And as time waits for no man, the defensive backs room is going to look a bit different in 2025. The question is, did Dallas upgrade the unit overall?
The defense as a whole is under new leadership, with Matt Eberflus taking over for Mike Zimmer. That trickles down to position coaches as well, as Al Harris is no longer in the building, replaced by Andre Curtis, one of several coaches who came over from Chicago with the new DC. As for the players on the field?
Losing Lewis, who signed a lucrative slot-corner free agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, could be crippling to the Dallas defense. Dallas traded a Day 3 selection for Kaiir Elam, a former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills still on his rookie contract.
The team then drafted ECU standout Shavon Revel Jr., who many considered to have first-round talent but an ACL injury had him available in the third. Both newcomers are outside corners, though, and Bland is an All-Pro on the outside as well. Moving him back to the slot could be a net negative.
Elam and Revel Jr. could each be used as insurance in case the Diggs injury sets his play back., but that leaves the Cowboys with minimal certainty inside. Israel Mukuamu played a successful playoff game in the slot a few seasons ago, but not much since then. Caelen Carson showed promise before a shoulder injury, but was never the same afterwards. Kemon Hall and Troy Pride Jr. are possibilities, but in reality are depth pieces and it wouldn't be a smart option to rely on them.
The safety room didn't change much. The veteran starters have gotten a year older, and the younger guys have gotten a year wiser. Have the four players intersected enough to get any new starters? Only time will tell.
Dallas added three possible safety options as undrafted free agents (UDFA). Alijah Clark, Zion Childress, and Mike Smith Jr. Both Bell and Thomas were prior UDFA players who are now major contributors, and if one of the new guys can do that, the unit could be improved.
The path to compensating for Lewis' departure hinges on how the new additions will deploy. The Cowboys would have to either see something Elam hasn't shown yet in three years, a Pro-Bowl caliber ability, or have a fully healthy Diggs return, or a fully healthy Revel step in and have a rookie-of-the year campaign. That would have to be combined with Bland moving back inside and playing at a similar level to where Lewis was.
There are way too many contingencies to consider this unit better than last season's.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys have changed defensive back depth, but have they improved?
Continue reading...
