FRISCO, Texas - Football season is getting closer and closer.
The Cowboys are set to depart for training camp in less a month. That's when we'll get the first up-close look at Brian Schottenheimer's first season with this revised roster and coaching staff. When we get to Oxnard, that's when we'll start to get some real answers about this 2025 Cowboys team.
But what are the questions? We've compiled our annual list of pressing questions that need answers heading into the regular season. The staff writers, consisting of Patrik Walker, Tommy Yarrish, Nick Eatman, Mickey Spagnola, Kyle Youmans and Kurt Daniels, weigh in on some of the pressing issues.
Today, we'll continue the series with a closer look at the nickel back spot. Jourdan Lewis left for Jacksonville in free agency, creating an opening for the slot corner, which has become one of the most important defensive positions on the field.
16) Who replaces Jourdan Lewis in the slot?
Tommy: As it stands right now, I'll say DaRon Bland. With the injuries that the Cowboys have in the cornerback room, they might not have a choice. Bland wants to play on the outside, and his 2023 All-Pro season shows you why, but the fact of the matter is he's their best option as things currently stand. If he does move inside, like he has been during many of the team's OTA practices, things get a bit tricky at outside corner with the amount of unknowns there. The question for me will be what the Cowboys will do when Trevon Diggs and Shavon Revel Jr. are healthy. Is Revel Jr. good enough to start on the outside from day one, and would that keep Bland in the slot? Can someone like Israel Mukuamu, Juanyeh Thomas or Kemon Hall prove in training camp that they can play there at a high level? It's a tough situation, but Bland gives the Cowboys a safety blanket for the time being.
Mickey: Great question, and one likely not answered until going through training camp and those three preseason games. First, the Cowboys must discover who is available for the season opener. Will Trevon Diggs be ready to start the season? Will rookie Shavon Revel be ready to start the season? What about Josh Butler? All undetermined at this point. And the other unanswered question that won't be answered until the end of training camp and preseason will be does veteran corner Kaiir Elam prove capable of stepping into a starting role on the outside, having been acquired in an offseason trade and heading into the final year of his original buffalo contract. In the meantime, the Cowboys will continue working Pro Bowl corner DaRon Bland outside in their two cornerback sets, then in the slot as they have been during the offseason when gong to the nickel. Some of that also depends on if the guy working in the slot on the second team, Juanyeh Thomas, proves capable of handling that chore when the season starts, allowing Bland to remain outside at right cornerback.
Patrik: I don't know, because they don't know. I could opine all the livelong day about who I think it might be, but it's a question that won't be answered until the conclusion of training camp, seeing as their is so, so much to figure out at the cornerback position. Will Trevon Diggs be ready at the start of training camp, or at least before it concludes? If so, then maybe you try Kaiir Elam as the boundary corner opposite Diggs and slide Bland back to the slot where he began his career behind Lewis. If Diggs isn't ready to take the field at the start of the season, however, Bland then becomes your only proven playmaker at the boundary and if you move him to the slot, you're looking at a newcomer in Elam opposite either a rookie in Shavon Revel and/or a second-year guy in Caelen Carson who himself is returning from a season-ending injury. And where does Israel Mukuamu fit into this equation? He'll get reps in the slot as well, as has been the case in OTAs and minicamp for safety Juanyeh Thomas, a dark horse in the race to replace Lewis. So I'll say it again: I don't know, because the Cowboys don't know.
Kurt: At this point, your guess is as good as mine. In fact, I highly doubt that here in June the Cowboys even know who will be playing the slot. However, they do have some options, from safeties like Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell to a host of cornerbacks such as Caelen Carson and Troy Pride Jr. with more on the way once healthy. But if I had to throw a dart and pick just one, why not Israel Mukuamu? He's got size and experience at both corner and safety, and he also recorded two interceptions last season. Although Mukuamu has largely been a special teamer for the Cowboys, maybe he can finally find a steady role on the defense. But again, this position is up for grabs right now.
