Do you think the Cowboys will bring back Jourdan Lewis?
The Dallas Cowboys have a long list of free agents who will officially hit the open market in a little over two months. Of those, six or seven were significant contributors in 2024, meaning the Cowboys have some difficult decisions ahead of them in the next two months.
We continue our free agent profile series by examining a player who was one of Dallas’ best performers in 2024, cornerback Jourdan Lewis.
Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images
2024 Regular Season Stats: 16G, 52 Tackles, 24 Defensive Stops, 48 Receptions Allowed, 488 Receiving Yards Allowed, 5 PBU, 79.0 Coverage Grade
Year Review: To the shock of many, the Dallas Cowboys brought cornerback Jourdan Lewis back last spring, signing the veteran to a one-year, $2.8M deal. Lewis’s return to Dallas came as a bit of a surprise, and there was not much faith in him before the start of the season. So much so that coming into training camp, there were questions about Caelen Carson potentially starting at outside corner, moving DaRon Bland back inside, and sending Lewis to the bench.
Carson struggled early on, and Bland ended up getting injured before the season started so that theory never got a chance to play out. The Cowboys are lucky it didn’t because Lewis turned out to be by far the best cornerback on the roster in 2024.
The 29-year-old had a career year, recording the highest coverage grade of his career (79.0) via Pro Football Focus. Lewis held opponents to three or fewer receptions in 10 of the 16 regular season games he played in and had nine games where he held opponents to fewer than 20 receiving yards.
Lewis played some of his best football against some of the most talented offenses Dallas’ defense faced. Against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3, the veteran did not allow a single reception. Lewis achieved the same feat in Week 9 against the Atlanta Falcons and once again in Week 17 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
You could make a solid argument behind Micah Parsons, the former third-round pick was the best-performing player on Dallas’ defense last season. Bringing Lewis back for a little under three million turned out to be one of the Cowboys’ best bargain contracts in recent memory, and the veteran set himself up nicely to get a big payday hitting the open market after his breakout year.
Free Agency Outlook: After the season he had, Lewis will make the $2.8M deal he signed last offseason look like peanuts this spring. While the veteran’s size limits him to playing mainly in the slot, you can’t find many slot corners who put together a better year than Lewis during the 2024 regular season.
Last March, nickel corner Taron Johnson signed a three-year, $30M contract extension with the Buffalo Bills. Johnson was coming off being named an All-Pro during the 2023 regular season, and his performance during his contract year was similar to what Lewis did before entering free agency. Many believed Lewis should have earned All-Pro honors this year, and the contract signed by Johnson will likely serve as a ceiling for what Lewis hopes to gain on the open market.
At age 29, the veteran likely won’t get a deal with as high of an AAV as Johnson did, but a team will almost certainly be willing to give him three years. Teams like the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, and Carolina Panthers that need cornerback help could be interested in acquiring Lewis’ services if the Cowboys let him hit free agency.
Cowboys Verdict: A few weeks back, Lewis spoke publicly about his desire to remain in Dallas despite being set to hit free agency.
“Always,” he said. “Dallas is my home. My kids were born here. We’d love to have another season here, or a few seasons here. My wife loves it.
“But I know it’s a business, and we don’t know what the front office needs.”
It sure seems like Lewis would be very interested in working out a contract where he can return to Dallas, and the Cowboys could benefit significantly from bringing him back. Dallas has DaRon Bland, Caelen Carson, and Trevon Diggs under contract for the 2025 season.
Diggs, who suffered a serious knee injury that ended his 2024 campaign early, will likely miss at least half of the 2025 regular season. That leaves Dallas with two healthy cornerbacks, one of which had an extremely disappointing rookie year.
You could argue that cornerback is currently the thinnest position group on Dallas’ entire roster. Re-signing Lewis would give the Cowboys’ cornerback group a massive boost and allow them the flexibility not to be forced to spend a premium draft pick on a corner.
All in all, a return to Dallas makes too much sense for both sides for it not to happen. Lewis wants to be here, and the Cowboys need him back, so the two parties should be able to work out a deal, hopefully before the start of free agency.
Prediction: Jourdan Lewis signs a three-year, $19.5M contract with the Dallas Cowboys
