The Dallas Cowboys managed to buck their usual offseason trends in the 2026 season, as a franchise that has usually been perfectly content with sitting free agency on the sidelines signed safety Jalen Thompson to a three-year contract. Pairing him with top NFL Draft pick Caleb Downs could be the catalyst for some extreme improvements.
The safety room is much improved, but the cornerback room leaves quite a lot to be desired. ESPN's analysis of the Cowboys' roster, which the worldwide leader deemed to be the 14th-best out of 32 teams in the league, concluded that cornerback is the biggest issue facing this roster. Firing Matt Eberflus isn't going to fix everything.
Jones' lack of spending in this area has put an inordinate amount of pressure on the three-headed monster of DaRon Bland, young players who are still developing, and veteran signings on cheap deals. That may not be enough to shut down some of the best passing attacks in the NFC.
Cowboys' CB room has a lot of question marks after lack of spending in free agency
Assuming that Downs ends up taking the nickel role, all five of the Cowboys' top cornerbacks have questions. Bland's ability to generate turnovers made him one of the better Day 3 picks in recent Dallas history, but he has just one interception in the last two seasons after a mind-bending 14 in his first two campaigns.
Cobie Durant graded out as an above-average cornerback in the eyes of Pro Football Focus, but his tackling in the open field can be called into question. Did the Cowboys land a quality player for well below market value, or is his one-year deal a sign that the rest of the league valued him correctly?
Dallas thought that investing a top pick in Shavon Revel Jr. after the former East Carolina product fell in the draft due to injury concerns would have given them some value for cheap, but he was one of the worst players on a wretched Cowboys defense last season. As a third-round pick, Revel is not going to be given as much developmental runway as top picks.
Meanwhile, fourth-round rookie Devin Moore has questions about his speed, and former fifth-rounder Caelan Carson has struggled to stay healthy.
Dallas' cornerback room has quite a high ceiling, but the floor is at the bottom of their proverbial cellar, and Jones' penny-pinching ways could lead to Christian Parker struggling to get them in a groove.
Add us as a preferred source on Google