Trading Osa Odighizuwa still hurts, but the Dallas Cowboys have done a lot of nice things during the first week of free agency. While they’ve yet to make a true splash, they’ve managed to raise the floor of a secondary that made the NFL’s worst quarterbacks look like Roger Staubach last season.
Signing cornerback Cobie Durant to a one-year deal epitomizes that strategy. Durant made 38 starts for the Los Angeles Rams over the last three years and brings the same physical and mental toughness as new safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke.
While Durant has never made a Pro Bowl, Bret Stuter of Ramblin' Fan believes the Cowboys are getting a really good player.
"Cobie Durant was one of the most consistent cornerbacks in an inconsistent secondary for the Rams in 2025. He emerged as a ball hawker, pulling in 3 INTs, including 1 pick-6.
He is fesity in coverage, allowing just 41 of 72 passes to be completed. He is a workhorse, a player who loves to grind. Best of all, on a one-year prove-it deal, he'll prove himself quickly."
Rams expert's take on Cobie Durant will get Dallas Cowboys fans even more excited
If you weren't sold before, you should be now.
Stuter is right: the Rams' secondary was their weakest link last season. They've remade their cornerback room this offseason, trading for Chiefs All-Pro Trent McDuffie and subsequently making him the NFL's highest-paid CB, and signing Jaylen Watson to a three-year, $51 million deal.
Just because Durant was not part of LA's plans does not mean he wasn't valued inside the building. For as volatile as Rams DBs were in coverage, Durant held up just fine.
Out of 62 cornerbacks who played at least 400 coverage snaps, Durant ranked 23rd with an 85.6 passer rating allowed and 26th with a 58.6 percent completion rate allowed when targeted, per Pro Football Focus.
The former fourth-round pick was a catalyst in the Rams' run to the NFC Championship Game, leading all players in the playoffs with three interceptions and seven passes defended. He got burned on occasion (what CB doesn't?), but he never let it faze him.
That grit is going to pay dividends in Dallas' secondary. While it has talented players such as Daron Bland, Shavon Revel, and Malik Hooker, it has badly missed Jourdan Lewis' bulldog mentality.
Much like Lewis, Durant is undersized at 5-foot-11 and 181 pounds. Both play bigger than their size, and what’s impressive about Durant is that he’s primarily played outside corner in his career. Typically, corners with his measurables play the nickel, which speaks to his competitiveness and toughness.
That isn’t to say Durant will have Lewis’ impact, but the Cowboys undoubtedly got better with his addition.