On paper the Dallas Cowboys have a stellar cornerback room heading into the 2025 season. They have two former All-Pros under the age of 27, an exciting rookie who many believe to be the cream of his draft class crop, a former first-round pick acquired in trade, and a number of young prospects capable of taking meaningful snaps in multiple capacities. It looks impressive.
But paper isn’t reality and all of the neat and shiny items there may be less than meets the eye in reality for a position the club is using $24 million in cap space on for 2025. Injuries, training schedules, and other various circumstances all stand to make the CB situation an awfully interesting one to follow this season.
Cowboys’ CB strengths: DaRon Bland
Not many will argue with the premise that Bland is the best healthy player on the roster. In fact, such a statement might not even require the “healthy” caveat. The fourth-year vet is just one year removed from his All-Pro campaign and just one year away from unrestricted free agency.
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Bland is a fundamentally sound player with inside-outside versatility, a nose for the football and an eye for the endzone. He’s playing for his payday and there’s a good chance that payday will be in Dallas if things go according to plan.
Cowboys’ CB weaknesses: The timeline
This weakness doubles as a wild card in many ways. Veteran Trevon Diggs and rookie Shavon Revel are both recovering from injuries. They’re both expected back this season, but the exact date is unclear. In the unlikely event both are back and 100% go by training camp, the Cowboys are set at the CB position. But nobody thinks that level of fortune is likely, so the timeline becomes the biggest obstacle to overcome in 2025.
Without these two starting caliber players the Cowboys are in contingency mode early. They need some down-roster players to step up and allow the Cowboys defense to survive the early slate of games. Schedule makers did Dallas no favors matching some of the NFL’s best receiver corps with the Cowboys right out of the gate.
Cowboys’ CB wildcard: Kaiir Elam
Elam, a former first-round pick, has had a disappointing start to his NFL career. Acquired in an offseason trade, the Cowboys hope Elam can thrive with a change of scenery. The 24-year-old CB out of Florida has flashed at certain moments in his career including in this summer’s Cowboys minicamp. The hope is he can be the guy he never was in Buffalo.
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The problem is everyone has hope this time of year and hoping that a player who’s never consistently performed as an average NFL starter will suddenly do so four years into his career is not a safe bet. Elam is the current favorite to win the starting job on the outside in Week 1. How well he plays will say a lot in how the Cowboys fare early this September. Until the pads come on it’s anyone’s guess which way this wildcard falls.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Strengths, weaknesses and wildcards at Cowboys CB position in 2025
