The Dallas Cowboys broke from mandatory minicamp earlier this week with a lot of answers to some of their most pressing questions. George Pickens did show up and participated in part, more clarity was achieved on the left tackle battle, and young players are already stepping up to the plate.
Another key position competition that is not-so-subtly working itself out already is that of who will start opposite DaRon Bland as the second boundary cornerback on Christian Parker's defense. The two fighting for the throne are cheap free agent Cobie Durant and recent draftee Shavon Revel Jr.
Despite Revel Jr. being healthy and feeling more like himself this offseason after an injury-riddled beginning to his NFL career, Durant drew first blood in the cornerback battle with some strong play during OTAs. The impression that Durant has made thus far has been impossible to ignore.
Reporters are, of course, taking notice.
Cobie Durant made his presence known at Dallas Cowboys' offseason program
Following the conclusion of mandatory minicamp, The Athletic's Jon Machota provided some takeaways. In this piece, he touched on just about everything that a fan of America's Team would be interested in, but his bit about Durant was particularly intriguing.
"The veteran stood out most among the Cowboys’ corners during OTAs and minicamp. He made a highlight diving interception of Prescott in OTAs, but there were also times when Lamb got the best of him. The coaching staff has been pleased with what it has seen. Durant is expected to have a significant role with his ability to play multiple cornerback spots. How that position group shakes out will likely depend on the health of DaRon Bland (foot) and Shavon Revel (knee). Both said last week that they are completely recovered and ready for training camp."
Machota is right that injuries and availability will significantly impact how the cornerback room looks come Week 1. But Durant has clearly done enough so far during his Cowboys stint that he has secured a spot in the rotation, and probably a starting role if the season started today.
And Machota wasn't the only one who noticed that Durant was impressing this offseason. Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News also reported that not only did Durant have a strong showing at OTAs and mandatory minicamp, but that he was the defensive MVP in his eyes.
"My defensive MVP from camp was Cobie Durant. The Cowboys struggled mightily with forcing turnovers and getting their hands on balls a year ago. In fact, they were last in pass breakups — even behind a New York Jets team that had zero interceptions all season. Durant has seven interceptions and 26 pass breakups in his four-year career. He had a diving interception in OTAs in 7-on-7 and he had a diving pass breakup on Tuesday, as well."
Durant laying out in offseason practices to make plays for this Dallas secondary is incredible to hear. While Jerry Jones and Brian Schottenheimer bolstered the talent of this unit during free agency and the draft and added a great young coordinator, the attitude needs to change as well.
Preventing big plays is one thing. Forcing incompletions is another. But taking the ball away is game-changing, and that is what this Cowboys defense needs to do. If Durant can do that, as he has to this point as a pro, then his NFL career could really take off in Dallas.
In the meantime, though, Durant made an impossible-to-ignore impression during OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Let's hope he is making the most of his time off and is still making an impact when he comes back for padded practices and the live bullets start flying.
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