Cowboys cornerback conundrum just became much more interesting with the selection of Shavon Revel Jr.

The Cowboys added an insurance policy at cornerback throughout the draft.

The cornerback position group of the Dallas Cowboys is one of the biggest mysteries on their roster. On one hand, they have two All-Pro players on the roster, Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. On the other hand, the future of those two players is murky, and everything beyond them is a great unknown. Let’s break it down.

The Trevon Diggs situation

Diggs was sensational in his first three years in the league. He was viewed as a second-round steal for the Cowboys and flashed his great talent early before a fractured foot ended his rookie season. His second year in the league was remarkable as he finished with 11 interceptions. It was the most picks in 40 years, when Everson Walls also had 11 picks in 1981. After three good years, the Cowboys signed him to a five-year, $97 million extension, but the ink hadn’t dried on the contract before bad luck struck. Two games into the season, Diggs tore his ACL in his left knee.

It gets worse. Diggs returned last year, but his knee was never right, and after muddling through most of the year, his season was once again cut short because of his left knee. The concern is more serious now. He underwent surgery again to repair cartilage, and his 2025 season timeline to play is unclear. Additionally, the cause of this setback has been up for discussion including how Diggs handled his rehab during his initial injury, creating strife between him and the Cowboys organization.

Diggs’ 2025 salary is injury guaranteed, and the Cowboys will have given him $42 million over the past three seasons despite getting limited returns. How he recovers this year will loom large on his future with Dallas, as none of his remaining $55 million is guaranteed, and the team could release him next offseason with only a $5.8 million dead money hit. This dilemma brings us to the next complicated matter, which is…

The DaRon Bland situation

Bland was another draft-day steal, only this time coming in the fifth round. And like Diggs, he had an amazing second year in the league with nine interceptions. He also set a new NFL record with five pick-sixes en route to his own All-Pro season. How lucky can the Cowboys get?

Last year, Bland missed the first part of the year with a foot injury. He only played seven games, and his interception totals went from nine to zero. It wasn’t because he played poorly, as he was solid down the stretch. The puzzling thing about Bland is that even though he was statistically sensational in 2023, there were elements to his game that keep him from being in the upper echelon of corners. However, other teams might view it differently should he hit free agency next offseason.

What are the Cowboys to do? Should they try to get a deal done before the start of the season? Should they wait and see, and keep the franchise tag option open to prevent him from hitting the open market? There are a lot of other factors that will go into making that decision and those factors include Diggs’ recovery, Bland’s true skills, and what the team might have in their new third-round draft pick, Shavon Revel Jr. We’ll get to him in a moment.

The depth situation

The Cowboys were hit hard with injuries last season. Because of that, seven corners played at least 100 snaps last year – Jourdan Lewis (872), Diggs (685), Bland (436), Amani Oruwariye (286), Caelen Carson (252), Josh Butler (160), and Andrew Booth (118).

Last year’s snap count leader, Jourdan Lewis, left in free agency. Last year’s rookie, Caelen Carson, did not have a good rookie season. This leaves a lot of questions about the Cowboys’ depth at corner, which could be an issue early without the presence of Diggs.

Revel in the glory of a fallen draft pick

The Cowboys selected one of the top corners in the draft in Shavon Revel Jr., but there’s only one problem. He’s coming off a torn ACL injury himself. For that reason, he fell to the third round, which makes him an absolute steal if one has the patience to lower their expectations for his rookie season. The Cowboys are saying they do.

Talent alone, he’s a first-round corner. He has exceptional length at 6’2” with a wingspan of nearly 80 inches. He’s a menace in press coverage and is physical with those long arms to disrupt routes. He also has excellent acceleration and top-end speed to cover a lot of ground in a hurry. And despite being a slender guy, he’s a very aggressive player. He will come at you fast and use that momentum to stop runners in their tracks or even toss them to the ground. While his interception production is low, he is a pass-break-up master with the skills to create his own No Fly Shavon (sah-vone).