Summer is often for the shiny, new toys in the NFL, leaving yesteryear’s prospects outside of the initial spotlight. Caelen Carson is going into his third season as an afterthought in the Cowboys’ revamped secondary, but could be a bigger factor in training camp than you might think.
Background
Years in NFL: 2
Acquired by: 2024 5th-round pick
Two years ago, some considered Carson as a steal for Dallas in the fifth round. At least one scout had him as a Day 2 prospect. The hype accelerated in the spring and summer
practices as Carson was consistently praised for his work, being called the star of training camp by some. While it was mainly due to injuries, Carson was named a starter for the first three weeks of the season. Dallas went 1-2 in those games, including a blowout loss to the Saints, and Carson looked very much like a rookie who didn’t belong on the field yet. To make matters worse, a shoulder injury cost him 11 games that year and much-needed developmental time.
Injury struck again in 2025, this time to Carson’s knee, and put him on IR for the first six weeks. He returned to a lesser role as DaRon Bland, Shavon Revel, and Reddy Steward (among others) handled the top-three spots for most of the season. Carson got significant snaps in a few games but never really shined, though few did in Matt Eberflus’ defense.
Contract Status
Years Left: 2
2026 Cap Hit: $1.14 million
Halfway through his rookie contract, Carson is still a low cost reserve. But if this is the end of the line for him in Dallas, the Cowboys will get back a little over $1 million in cap space.
2026 Projections
Role: Backup CB
Roster Chance: 20%
It’s certainly going to be an uphill battle for Carson this year, but it’s far from a lost cause. He’s still just 24 years old and has always shined in training camp. If he can have another strong summer, Carson could easily push for a depth spot. Right now, the only cornerbacks who feel like locks are Bland, Revel, Cobie Durant, and rookie Devin Moore.
Still, Carson is a holdover from a past defensive regime. In fact, two regimes ago. That tends not to work out for players, and Carson is certainly up againt the wave of change under Christian Parker. In addition to free agent Derion Kendrick, Dallas also has several new safeties who can play slot corner. Even if Carson has a strong camp, roster math could get him in the end.
The competition between Carson, Kendrick, Steward, Josh Butler, Trikweze Bridges and others for the bottom of the CB dept hart will be a fun one for Oxnard and the preseason. While they may start off in down-roster roles, we know how quickly those reserve CBs can end up playing major snaps. Carson has been asked to do that several times over the last two years, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him earn a roster spot again in 2026.
Check out our previous player profiles from this series:
RB Israel Abanikanda | P Bryan Anger | S Justin Barron | G T.J. Bass | C Cooper Beebe | CB DaRon Bland | RB Jaydon Blue | G Tyler Booker | CB Josh Butler | S Alijah Clark | DT Kenny Clark | OT Ajani Cornelius | RB Malik Davis | S Caleb Downs | DT Tommy Dunn | CB Cobie Durant | OLB Donovan Ezeiruaku | TE Princeton Fant | TE Jake Ferguson | WR Ryan Flournoy | OLB Rashan Gary | C Matt Hennessy | S Malik Hooker | OLB James Houston | QB Sam Howell | WR Jordan Hudson | LB Shemar James | G Trevor Keegan | CB Derion Kendrick | WR CeeDee Lamb | OLB Isaiah Land | OLB Marist Liufau | S P.J. Locke | FB Hunter Luepke | RB Phil Mafah | QB Joe Milton III | WR Jonathan Mingo | CB Devin Moore | DT Otito Ogbonnia | LB DeMarvion Overshown | QB Dak Prescott | CB Shavon Revel | TE DJ Rogers | TE Luke Schoonmaker | OT Drew Shelton | LS Trent Sieg | WR Anthony Smith | G Tyler Smith | TE Brevyn Spann-Ford | OT Terence Steele | CB Reddy Steward | OT Nate Thomas | S Jalen Thompson | DT Jay Toia | TE Michael Trigg | WR KaVontae Turpin | WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling | OLB Tyrus Wheat | RB Javonte Williams | DT Quinnen Williams | OLB Sam Williams | LB Dee Winters | DT D.J. Withers | S Julius Wood
