Reddy Steward has already gotten over one hurdle in 2026, surviving the purge of “Matt Eberflus guys” from the Cowboys staff and roster. Re-signed this offseason, Steward hopes to impress the new defensive coaches and fight his way back onto the team for another run.
Background
Years in NFL: 2
Acquired by: Waiver claim (2025)
Undrafted out of Troy in 2024, Steward’s first NFL job came as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears in 2024, then coached by Eberflus. He spent most of the year on their practice
squad, but the Bears did call him up to play in a single game. At the end of the season, he signed a futures deal with the division-rival Vikings to compete in their offseason program. That same winter, Eberflus became the defensive coordinator in Dallas.
When the Vikings waived Steward at final cuts, his former head coach brought him to his new Cowboys defense. There was a big need as Dallas had multiple injury concerns with their corners. Steward actually started in Week 2 and played significant snaps throughout the season, becoming a key figure when DaRon Bland ended up on IR and Trevon Diggs was released.
Making sense of who played well and who didn’t on last year’s defense isn’t easy. It was chaotic and breakdowns occurred all over the field. And while he struggled along with all of his teammates, Steward at least had moments where he showed toughness and solid coverage instincts. He was a willing tackler despite being undersized, which is key for the slot role he played. It was enough that, unlike most Eberflus guys, Steward got a new contract to return in 2026 and compete for a job.
Contract Status
Years Left: 1
2026 Cap Hit: $1.01 million
Part of what got Steward back in Dallas was being an exclusive rights free agent. The Cowboys were able to give him the minimum for a third-year player and hold on to a developing asset at a position of need. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2027, so Dallas could again use their leverage to keep him around if his play merits about a $3 million raise.
2026 Projections
Role: Backup CB
Roster Chance: 20%
Because they could get away with giving Steward the minimum this year, Dallas’ didn’t really tell us how much they believe him with the new deal. They certainly loaded up on options at cornerback this offseason, adding Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick in free agency, plus Devin Moore in the draft. That’s in addition to retaining Steward, Bland, Shavon Revel, Josh Butler, Caelen Carson, Trikweze Bridges, Zion Childress, and Corey Ballentine from last year. They’ve even made a point of adding safeties with slot corner potential in Jalen Thompson, Caleb Downs, and P.J. Locke.
Even if you take the safeties out of the conversation, you still have 11 pure CB prospects. About half of them won’t make the 53. We can guarantee slots for Bland and Revel, and probably Moore too, so that leaves just 2-3 jobs for the remaining eight contenders. And when you consider that Durant and Kendrick were brought in with new DC Christian Parker’s influence in offseason decisions, that leaves Steward in a tough spot as pre-Parker holdover.
Because of the slot potential in the safeties, it puts even more emphasis on corners who can play outside. That favors bigger guys like Carson, Butler, and Bridges far more than Steward. And while this only matters so much, Carson was a fifth-round pick in the same class which saw Steward go undrafted. Bridges was a seventh-round pick last year by the Chargers. So in just the last couple of years, these prospects were seen as having more upside than Steward. The more you look at this uphill climb for the third-year prospect, the steeper it seems.
Steward isn’t showing up to this party empty-handed, though. He just picked up a wealth of experience as a primary roleplayer and five-game starter in last year’s defense. His 519 total defensive snaps were second among CBs, trailing only Bland. And he even got a little time at safety, which could be a way to sneak onto the bottom of another depth chart. Still just a third-year prospect himself, Steward has room to elevate his game and perhaps stand out if he takes to Parker’s scheme better than others.
Ultimately, there’s more working against Reddy Steward’s roster chances than in his favor. But there’s a lot he can do on that Oxnard practice field and in the preseason to change that. Injuries could also open the door for him, as they did last year. With Parker’s arrival leveling the playing field for many, Steward can approach this summer with determination and make his case for another year in Dallas.
Check out our previous player profiles from this series:
C Cooper Beebe
G Tyler Booker
S Alijah Clark
EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku
TE Jake Ferguson
S Malik Hooker
LB Shemar James
G Trevor Keegan
FB Hunter Luepke
RB Phil Mafah
WR Jonathan Mingo
CB Devin Moore
LS Trent Sieg
OT Terence Steele
EDGE Tyrus Wheat
EDGE Sam Williams
