The Dallas Cowboys finally have a defense to look forward to, and with weaknesses all around the Las Vegas Raiders' offense, it's the perfect chance to unleash their new guys, Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson.
One highly criticized part of the Cowboys has been the secondary. DaRon Bland had about the biggest flop of his career when he got burned by Marvin Harrison Jr. multiple times in their loss to the Arizona Cardinals. When Bland got his ankles broken on a slant route from Harrison Jr., it marked the beginning of what was going to be a long night.
Tommy Yarrish from the official Cowboys' website writes that the arrival of the rookie, Shavon Revel Jr., provides a new opportunity for Bland to play to his strengths.
Cowboys should move DaRon Bland to the slot once Shavon Revel Jr. returns
Yarrish answers a question from a fan about potential changes we could see from now until the end of the season.
"More five man fronts with their defensive line, Logan Wilson playing middle linebacker, DaRon Bland moving to the slot if Shavon Revel shows he's ready for a starting role, the list goes on."Tommy Yarrish
The entrance of Revel Jr. could lead to Bland playing more snaps in the slot, and it's a chance for Eberflus to release his rookie CB into the wild to play against the opposing team's top receiver.
Kaiir Elam hasn't been the same cornerback as he was with Buffalo. His 59.6 Pro Football Focus grade is 54th out of 109 cornerbacks. Revel Jr. returning soon opens the door for more rotation. Even though Bland got tormented against the Cardinals, we're probably not going to see an abysmal performance like that again from him.
Cowboys fans need to remember that Bland is the pick-six king. Back in 2023, Bland broke the record for most pick-sixes in a single season with five. He might be best in the nickel, but he's not getting benched.
At East Carolina, Revel Jr. was one of the premier lockdown CBs in the country. Revel Jr., Bland, Reddy Steward, and Caelan Carson might be the rotation Cowboys need, and Revel Jr. returning to action will allow Eberflus to phase Elam and Trikweze Bridges out of the rotation.
It's not a guarantee that Revel Jr. will play on Monday Night Football against the Raiders. Moving Bland back into the slot might not happen until the following week against the Eagles. But it's a potential card that Eberflus didn't have up his sleeve while Revel was on the NFI list.