Inside The Star
At one point in recent history, the Dallas Cowboys had one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL.
With Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland at the corners, opposing quarterbacks were going to have a hard time finding their key receivers.
In 2021, in his second season, Diggs had 11 interceptions with two going for touchdowns. In 2022, Bland’s rookie year, he had three more picks.
Bland had five picks in his first year then, with Diggs injured after just two games in 2023, Bland had nine interceptions with five going for touchdowns.
But in 2024, neither player could stay on the field.
Diggs played in 11 games and had two picks. Bland only saw the field for seven games and did not have an interception.
The 2025 season was supposed to be a bounce back season for both players.
It was anything but.
For Diggs, an offseason dispute over another rehab away from The Star was just the first step in what was to become a messy divorce.
The Micah Parsons trade seemed to be the last straw, even though Diggs would play in eight games for the Cowboys, with six starts.
He would finish with 25 tackles in those eight games. But he wouldn’t record a single interception.
He was finally released late in the year and joined Parsons in Green Bay for one game with the Packers.
Bland started all 12 games that he played in 2025. He recorded 73 tackles and his lone interception was a 68-yard Pick Six.
But Bland struggled in coverage.
Whether or not it was from a decline in skill set, or the scheme set in place by former defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, remains to be seen.
Regardless, what seemed to be a rock solid position was anything but in 2025.
With Diggs and Bland falling off the pace, the Cowboys found very little help from their backups.
A fifth-round pick in 2024, Caelen Carson played in eight games this year after only playing in six in his rookie campaign.
Carson finished with just 17 tackles in 2025. He had 27 as a rookie.
The Cowboys used a third round pick last April to draft cornerback Shavon Revel, despite his senior year in college being cut short by a knee injury.
Pre-injury, Revel was a potential first round pick.
While the other 31 teams passed on him at least twice, and some three times, Dallas rolled the dice. They rolled snake eyes.
Revel played in just seven games and made 35 tackles in five starts.
Worse still, he was constantly getting beat in coverage.
Reddy Stewart had followed Eberflus to Dallas from Chicago. In his second year, he started five games out of the 17 he played in.
He finished with 63 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Steward will probably remain on the roster for 2026. But the Cowboys are going to need to draft a shutdown cornerback this April.
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