5 Dallas Cowboys who will make or break the 2023 season

2. Stephon Gilmore, CB

There were two big moves made this offseason by Dallas — one which was predicted and one that came out of left field. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks was the first addition, and that was the one we saw coming. Cooks not only played a position of need but he was nearly dealt to the Cowboys last year at the trade deadline.

Throughout the offseason, rumors continued to fly around the league about a potential move — and eventually it happened.

Not long after this, an unexpected move took place when Dallas traded for Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts.

Still considered one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, Gilmore wasn't someone fans were expecting to see in Big D. But once the trade happened, excitement grew since it meant they would have Gilmore and Trevon Diggs starting in the secondary.

Gilmore offers up quite an upgrade over Anthony Brown, who has yet to find his new NFL team. He also keeps them from having to rely on Kelvin Joseph, a second-round pick from 2021 who has been a disappointment thus far.

The only concern has to be age. Gilmore will turn 33 early in the season and likely doesn't have too many years left. Even so, he was great in 2022 for the Colts and if he plays at a high level, it will be huge for this defense. If not, the defensive passing game could suffer.