The Cowboys cornerback group has a lot of potential, but they have to get healthy first.
The Dallas Cowboys dealt with a lot of injuries at cornerback last year. Unfortunately, some of those issues may carry over into next season. On top of that, Dallas faces the risk of losing one of its most underrated veterans to free agency. We focus on these CB issues in our next offseason preview.
Under Contract
Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, Caelen Carson
Josh Butler, Andrew Booth, Kemon Hall
Luq Barcoo, Troy Pride
Potential Departures
Jourdan Lewis, Amani Oruwariye
If everyone would’ve stayed healthy, Dallas might have had the NFL’s best CB room last season. But Trevon Diggs played hurt most of the year with a knee issue, then got shelved when the season was presumably over in December. DaRon Bland missed half the year with a stress fracture in his foot. Rookie Caelen Carson only played six games due to a shoulder injury. And Josh Butler suffered a season-ending ACL tear in late November.
All of these players are under contract for 2025, and at least Bland and Carson should be ready for training camp. But Diggs’ knee problem, for which he had surgery on January 23rd, is expected to keep him out until sometime during the regular season. Butler also may not return by September given the severity of his injury and when it happened. Dallas will have to account for these likely absences this offseason.
One guy who may benefit from all of this is Jourdan Lewis. The eight-year veteran is scheduled for free agency and projects to have a strong market after a standout season. Gaining more recognition as of the NFL’s best slot corners, Lewis posted career-high tackles in 2024.
Given the uncertainty with Diggs, Dallas should be very motivated to hang on to Lewis. He would solidify the nickel scheme, which Matt Eberflus runs a lot of, and allow Bland to focus on opposing teams’ number-one receivers. You’d hope that Carson or another prospect can handle the other starting role, at least temporarily. But if they don’t keep or adequately replace Lewis, Dallas is running a huge risk with its secondary next season.
Unfortunately, there isn’t much to be confident about further down the list. Andrew Booth struggled mightily in his first year with the Cowboys. The 2022 second-round pick was traded for last August but only played in seven games despite all of the aforementioned injuries. The rest of the group are just bodies, some who were forced into action last year but can’t be counted on for major roles going forward.
Free Agency
Given what they’re already paying Diggs and may be planning to shell out to keep Bland, don’t expect any splash signings here. Retaining Lewis would be the biggest move, or perhaps signing a veteran to fill his place. Bland has the versatility to play slot, which offers some flexibility in who they might sign. But if they want to keep him on the outside, especially while Diggs is out, Cincinnati’s Mike Hilton and Las Vegas’ Nate Hobbs are two slot corners they might look at.
One familiar name to look out for is Mike Jackson, a former Cowboys fifth-round pick in 2019. After not making the roster as a rookie and floating around the NFL for a few years, Jackson emerged as a full-time starter in Seattle in 2022 and again last year for the Panthers. He isn’t one of the biggest names on the market and has experience, and would be better than most of Dallas’ current prospects behind Carson. Signing someone like him would make sense given the Cowboys’ projected absences.
2025 NFL Draft
One of the biggest drivers for Dallas’ draft strategy is whether or not they intend to give Bland a new contract. His rookie deal is up after this season, and if they’re not going to re-sign him then it would make sense to draft a new CB pretty high this year. That rookie could help with the projected depth issues now and then hopefully take over a starting role next season. It’s also possible that Dallas could shed Diggs’ contract to help fund a new one for Bland, creating the same need for younger, cheaper talent.
That puts a lot of scenarios on the table. Dallas could consider Will Johnson or Shavon Revel in the first round or wait until Day 2 for someone like Texas’ Jahdae Barron or Azareye’h Thomas, brother of Juanyeh, on Day 2. If the Cowboys are looking to keep Diggs and Bland together as a duo, they’ll probably focus on other positions early but would still probably look at some corners with their fifth-round picks.
Final Thoughts
Having to plan around injuries is frustrating but that’s the unfortunate reality at cornerback this offseason. If Dallas could count on Diggs, Bland, Carson, and Butler all returning on time next season, they might even be comfortable letting Lewis go in free agency. But the current landscape almost forces their hand on re-signing him or adding a comparable veteran, and the longer view at the position means it may be high on the draft priority list. Even with several assets under contract, the Cowboys will still have to treat CB as one of its more critical needs.
