Inside The Star
The Dallas faithful should be prepared for a major overhaul of their defense this offseason. We will likely see new faces at every level of the unit, but especially in the Cowboys’ secondary.
It’s arguably been the defense’s weakest unit this year, as the group’s two cornerstones, DaRon Bland and Trevon Diggs, have either struggled to stay healthy or failed to make their expected high-level impact when on the field.
At cornerback, when you look past those two big names and injured rookie Shavon Revel, it is a wide-ranging collection of little-known, borderline NFL players.
The picture at safety isn’t much brighter. Despite their experience, veterans Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson, who will be 30 and 31 by the start of 2026, represent two positions that need a full-scale reset.
It will be the end of the road in Dallas for a number of these guys, so let’s look over who should stay and who should go in the Cowboys’ secondary this offseason.
The group that should stay in Dallas is minimal, and for good reason.
Of course, the recently-extended Bland will be back in 2026 as the clear-cut CB1; his new $90M+ price tag cements that. He is joined by two young corners in 2024 draftee Caelen Carson and Revel.
The pick-six king, Daron Bland.
Another one — this time off Marcus Mariota.pic.twitter.com/OwSKOjBHjy https://t.co/y6qsOnjSK3— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 19, 2025
Carson, a star at Wake Forest, has yet to show the same skills in the NFL, though you could argue that has had more to do with injuries. Either way, Dallas won’t move on from him so quickly with their massive weakness at the position.
Revel is just as obvious as Bland in the keep department: he is young, carries sky-high potential, and was a big investment with the 76th pick.
On the leave list, we have an extensive group, headlined by Diggs.
The former DPOY candidate is all but done in Dallas; his injuries, performance, and issues with the organization have made that fact very clear. It will also save money to cut him this offseason.
Kaiir Elam- cast off
Alijah Clark- Undrafted
Trikweze Bridges- 7th round pick
Markquese Bell- Undrafted
Daron Bland- 5th round pickNo scheme will cover this up.
You need Jimmys and Joes
— (Foots The King) (@FootsDaKing) October 27, 2025
Aside from Diggs, guys like Josh Butler, Trikweze Bridges, Kaiir Elam, and Reddy Steward all need to go on the account of them not being very good.
You always need depth at cornerback, but we’ve either seen enough of the guys in this group or will in due time as guys like Butler near the 30-year-old mark.
Safety Rebuild: Youth Movement...
