Well, it’s finally here.
Dallas Cowboys training camp has arrived after nearly six long months of waiting.
The last meaningful football was the playoff game in San Francisco at the end of January.
By the time you read this, the Cowboys would have touched down in Oxnard, California.
Training camp is an opportunity for veteran players to knock the rust off, and sharpen some of their skills.
For younger players, it may be the only opportunity they get to show the coaching staff how much value they can bring to the roster.
The players battle on the field, and the coaches have the unenviable job of deciding which players just don’t make the cut.
As I continue up my training camp positional battle series, we wrap it all up by discussing the cornerbacks.
To recap all the other positions previously discussed, utilize the following links.
- Quarterback
- Running back
- Wide receiver
- Offensive tackle
- Offensive guard
- Defensive tackle
- Defensive end
- Linebacker
Cornerbacks
Established Starter(s): Trevon Diggs, Stephon Gilmore, DaRon Bland
Battle for Backup: Jourdan Lewis, Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, Eric Scott Jr.
The Dallas Cowboys improved an already strong cornerback room by trading a 5th round pick to the Colts for veteran Stephon Gilmore.
Adding Gilmore across from All-Pro Trevon Diggs gives the Cowboys one of the strongest starting tandems in the NFL.
When in the Nickel package, sophomore DaRon Bland gives Dallas the strongest trio of cornerbacks in the league, hands down.
Several players are in line for snaps behind those big three, and training camp will decide who those snaps go to.
Jourdan Lewis
Jourdan Lewis was drafted out of the University of Michigan by Dallas in the 3rd round of the 2017 draft.
The departure of Anthony Brown in free agency makes Lewis the longest tenured member of the Cowboys secondary.
Lewis, the Cowboys top slot cornerback in 2022, was lost for the season in late October after suffering a Lisfranc injury on a play where he made an interception.
I remember panicking at the time, not knowing the gem that was waiting behind him.
Without Lewis’ injury, we never would have discovered DaRon Bland.
Lewis will likely not participate in training camp, as the plan is for the Cowboys to place him on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) list.
Kelvin Joseph
It would be an understatement to say that the highly touted 2nd round pick from the University of Kentucky has failed to live up to the hype.
Kelvin Joseph’s Cowboys tenure has been full of drama.
From his inability to completely prioritize his NFL career over his rap career, to his possible involvement in a shooting, Joseph has yet to gain the confidence of Cowboys Nation.
Entering his third season, it’s now or never for Joseph.
His draft stock and being one of “Dan Quinn’s guys” is likely all that’s keeping him on the roster at this point.
He got torched in coverage when given the opportunity versus the Packers and Jaguars last year.
Joseph appeared to be a standout on special teams, and that may be a bridge until his coverage skills catch up.
Nahshon Wright
Another “Dan Quinn guy” taken one round later in the same draft as Joseph, Nahshon Wright also has not lived up to the hype.
He possesses all the traits of previous cornerbacks that made Quinn famous.
The height and length of guys like Richard Sherman, Brandon Browner, and Byron Maxwell come to mind.
However, Wright has yet to show he can mimic what those guys brought to the NFL on a consistent basis.
Not as effective on special teams as Joseph, Wright may be on his last chance with Dallas.
Eric Scott Jr.
Dallas traded up to the first pick of the 6th round for the rights to draft Eric Scott Jr. out of the University of Southern Mississippi.
Quinn and the defensive coaches were ecstatic.
Scott’s draft stock plummeted after he ran a 4.78 40 yard dash at the NFL Combine.
What teams did not know (except for Dallas) was that Scott strained a hamstring prior to the dash that led to that poor time.
He has the measurements Quinn covets, standing at 6’2″ 202 lbs.
Dallas hopes for a rookie season similar to what they got from Bland in 2022.
Prediction
What we have to take into account are two players who I did not list in this battle.
C.J. Goodwin is a special teams ace who likely makes the team again.
Israel Mukuamu is listed as a safety on the depth chart, but if the end of last season is any indication, he will be used as a safety/cornerback hybrid.
Along with Diggs, Gilmore, and Bland, that is already five roster spots taken up for the cornerback position.
That leaves four players fighting for what will likely be two, and maybe even just one more roster spot.
I believe it will be two more spots, and those spots will go to Joseph and Scott.
It’s a bold call, but Lewis will get cut outright to save money on the salary cap, or he could be traded away.
Wright will be the other casualty unless he can show the traits that got him drafted in the 3rd round in the first place.