The Dallas Cowboys spent the entire offseason attempting to upgrade the roster from top to bottom, and by most accounts they’ve succeeded. There are a few positions that may still need to be addressed at some point, but maybe cornerback will not be one.
Dating back to December when DaRon Bland was placed on injured reserve, there’s been some concerns about his long-term future in Dallas. This is due to the injuries he sustained to his left foot that has required offseason surgery in consecutive years.
No one quite knew how he would bounce back from surgery No. 2, but early reports definitely sound encouraging.
Seeing that No. 26 is the Cowboys most seasoned and proven CB on the entire roster, and someone who is expected to start, him already “feeling really good” right now and running with the first-team defense is amazing news. Now, he just needs to find a way to remain healthy and return to his 2023 form.
After two rather disappointing seasons, it’s easy to forget how well Bland played back in 2023. He was an All-Pro and set the NFL record for pick-sixes in a season with five, plus led the league in total interceptions with nine. That production ultimately led to the four-year, $92 million contract he signed in 2025.
Bland is currently the seventh highest-paid CB in the entire league and needs to start living up to his contract. The Cowboys are relying on him to start this year and play well. If not, they will be forced to turn to some younger and unproven players such as Shavon Revel to fill the void.
Revel is coming off a rather ho-hum rookie season, one in which he never really looked fully healthy after sustaining a season-ending knee injury in his final collegiate season. He played all of last season with a knee brace, but has been moving/playing much more loosely and confidently without it in OTAs and now in training camp.
Much like with DaRon Bland, there was some concerns about Revel’s health and how his knee would respond once things got much more physical and training camp. If early signs are any indicator, he too is “feeling good” right now.
Although Revel isn’t a projected starter right now, he could be competing with free agent addition Cobie Durant for the job. He was considered a first-round talent who slid to the Cowboys in the third round in last year’s draft. And, at 6’2”, 198-pounds, he would add some much-needed size to the Cowboys secondary.
With both DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel well ahead of where they were a year ago, the Cowboys CB position is much less of a concern that it was before learning more about their health status. Hopefully they can continue to remain healthy from now throughout the rest of the 2026 NFL season. Christian Parker and his new-look defense is certainly hoping so.
