I have been saying this since before the 2024 NFL Draft even started: Caelen Carson will play significant snaps for a team this season. The former Wake Forest cornerback is now making that case himself.
The 174th pick in April, Carson slid down the board far past where I had expected him to go. He was my 61st overall player, holding an early-third round grade.
His combination of physicality and sky-high potential with ball skills plays perfectly in the Al Harris secondary.
Those formidable traits, as I mentioned, are showing themselves early in camp.
He is behind a few young guys on the depth chart right now, namely Nahshon Wright and Eric Scott Jr.
Now ask yourself this: was there ever strong hype coming from training camp about either of those guys?
That’s not a knock on them as players, it is simply the truth. Carson brings something to the table that neither of those late-round cornerbacks did — high-level starter potential.
Now, how high can that potential reach this season? Let’s talk about it.
The Case for Caelen Carson to Start
This is the obvious question to ask here in terms of Caelen Carson’s potential and stock for this season, and good arguments can be made both ways.
On the side that says yes, he could end up a starter, you simply have to look at the recent history Dallas has at the position.
Neither former Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn nor Harris ever feared putting a young, late-round cornerback out there early. Think back to DaRon Bland. As the 167th pick (just a few spots ahead of where Carson went this year), Bland started in eight games, played in all 17, and had five interceptions.
That alone should be proof that a talented defensive back like Carson can get on the field in a similar way.
We can also point towards the depth chart, where the return of Trevon Diggs is prevalent, but so is Dallas walking away from Stephon Gilmore.
All Carson has to do to get on the field is surpass the other young corners, which, in my view, he already has. He can then either jump the veteran Jourdan Lewis or come in for an injury to one of the starters.
The potential he has shown here in training camp far exceeds my own expectations for him, and those were pretty high.
If he keeps this thing up, who is to say the coaching staff doesn’t roll with Carson?
The Case Against Starting Caelen Carson
If the Cowboys decide against starting Caelen Carson this year, there will be one major reason why: they don’t want to stunt his growth.
Carson is still raw, let’s not get it twisted.
In my draft scouting, I felt his potential heavily outweighed that, but NFL teams did not agree. He was the 174th pick for a reason, even if he is playing higher than that in training camp.
For him to start out of the gate, or come in for an injury, he’d be either playing over a seasoned player like Lewis, or surpassing some of the young guys that have now been here for a few seasons.
That is a risk. Not only in terms of the defense’s performance, but in hurting his confidence, slowing his development learning under players, and making the organization colder on him.
Right now, I don’t think there is a player in the secondary that Harris is more intrigued by. Carson, as I mentioned, is right up his alley.
With the right crafting, he could get him to be something special, just as he did with Bland and Trevon Diggs, who now get to run the field together. Moving him up the depth chart too quickly is one of the very few things that could put his potential in danger.
Not to mention, Lewis has become fairly underrated at this point. He is important, even if Carson is eventually his successor.
Starting Carson could become a necessity.
Right now, however, it might just be too risky of a play for a young guy showing loads of potential.