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 an up-close look at Brian Schottenheimer's second 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 2026 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 and Kurt Daniels, weigh in on some of the pressing issues.
Today, we'll continue the series with a look at the Cowboys' cornerback room, and which player has the most to prove in 2026 after the unit as a whole struggled last season.
No.15) Which CB has the most to prove?
Tommy: DaRon Bland. Since his historic 2023 season where he broke the NFL record for pick-sixes with five, the question has always been, can he do it again or continue to play at a similar level?
Asking Bland to get multiple pick-sixes year in and year out is unreasonable. However, it's fairer to expect that Bland can solidify himself as one of the better corners in the league and certainly be someone who can take away his side of the field in coverage. Unfortunately due to injury, he hasn't had the opportunity to show that as much with just 19 games played since that 2023 season.
Coming off of foot surgery this offseason, Bland has to prove himself as the high-level corner the Cowboys believe he is. If they didn't believe in him, they wouldn't have given him the four-year, $90 million extension that made him the seventh-highest paid cornerback in the league last offseason. Now, it's a matter of Bland staying healthy enough and seeing if he can return to top form.
Patrik: For my money, or rather for the Cowboys' money, the answer has to be DaRon Bland. Yes, there are younger guys with pressure on them as well. One such name that comes to mind is Caelen Carson, a former draft pick entering his contract year, and another is second-year talent Shavon Revel attempting to prove he can return to the form that made him a highly-sought after prospect pre-injury at Eastern Carolina.
But, and this is key, neither of them (nor Cobie Durant) has as much pressure on them as does Bland — a former First-team All-Pro and record-setting cornerback set to hit the Cowboys' salary cap for $17 million per year over the next two seasons, and another $26 million combined in 2028 and 2029. Trevon Diggs is gone and that makes Bland the leader of the CB unit, needing to overcome recent availability issues due to his foot to have any shot at reminding the NFL of why he's the Pick Six King.
Mickey: Not sure there is just one, so this might be cheating but I'm going to give you two. First, the cornerback most expected from is Shavon Revel, last year's third-round draft choice despite still recovering from his torn ACL three games into the final season at East Carolina. The Cowboys purposely slow-played his return from Non-Football Injury, realizing they did not get their hands on his rehab until May of last year.
So that Revel, a projected potential first round draft choice had he not suffered the torn ACL, actually was able to play seven games and start five was somewhat surprising. Now he will have a full offseason, training camp and three preseason games all under his belt for the first time with the Cowboys and that should give him a fair chance to challenge for a starting job.
And my other choice would be Caelen Carson entering his third season, but needing to stay healthy, having been plagued by injuries his first two seasons. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was high on his offseason performance this year, and if you remember, Carson during his rookie training camp earned the nickname "Seatbelt" from Dak Prescott for his tight coverage. But a shoulder injury limited to him to just six games (5 starts) his rookie year. And after offseason surgery, of all things suffered a knee injury in training camp last year, limiting him to just eight games. Time to shine.
