FRISCO, Texas — While the Cowboys weren't exactly quiet during free agency this spring, there is still plenty of work to do for this team that finished 7-9-1 in 2025.
Not only did they add some key players in free agency and via trades, but they also re-signed some of the core depth as well.
Still, there are other members of the team that must take that next step in order for the Cowboys to be successful in 2026.
Today, we'll continue the Next Man Up series with cornerback Shavon Revel Jr.
- Name: Shavon Revel Jr.
- Position: Cornerback
- Experience: 1 year
- Games Played/Starts: 7/5
- Years Left on Contract: 3
- How Acquired: 2025 third-round pick – 76th overall
- Key Stat: 35 tackles, 3 PBUs in rookie season
The Past: The road to the NFL was far from an easy one for Shavon Revel Jr., who has suffered multiple major injuries and worked long shifts with his father at Amazon before playing his way into the conversation of being one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL Draft in the 2025 class. The most recent hurdle Revel has had to jump came after three games of his final season at East Carolina, where he suffered a torn ACL and questions arose about his health throughout the pre-draft process. When the draft came around, it was ultimately the Cowboys who selected Revel in the third round, as they had a better medical report than anybody with team doctor Dan Cooper performing Revel's surgery.
The Present: After beginning the year on the non-football injury (NFI) list in November, Revel made his NFL debut against the Las Vegas Raiders and gradually worked towards getting more snaps as the back half of the season rolled on. He would end up playing in seven games, starting in five, and posted 35 tackles and three pass breakups. Revel would miss the team's final game of the season against the Giants to a concussion. Throughout the course of the year, Revel wore a protective brace around his knee that visibly had an effect on his movement and would even take him out of plays while he went to the sideline to readjust it.
The Future: It goes without saying the biggest emphasis this offseason is for Revel to get his knee fully healthy and lose the brace that seemingly caused him discomfort for most of the 2025 season. The cornerback room could really use his size as well, as he's the second-tallest corner on the roster behind only Trikwese Bridges. New Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker has a strong track record of developing cornerbacks similar in build and coverage ability to Revel, and will certainly be a priority for Dallas' entire defensive staff to develop into what they hope can be a starting outside corner for a long time. Revel has the ability to do it, but needs to get fully healthy and wasn't 100% in 2025.
