Yesterday we discussed how the Dallas Cowboys will field one of the top wide receiver trios in the league.
Two offseason trades brought in veterans Brandin Cooks and Stephon Gilmore.
The level of aggressiveness by the Cowboys' brass was a welcome sight after being accustomed to seeing little to no activity in the trade and free agent market.
While Cooks adds a dangerous element to the offense alongside CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, Gilmore does the same for the defense.
Cowboys fans should be giddy with the addition of the All-Pro cornerback into a room that features several young stars just making their mark in the league.
Without further adieu, here is the trio of Cowboys cornerbacks who aim to be the top unit in the NFL.
Trevon Diggs
One would think that a player with 17 interceptions and a 1st team All-Pro nod in the first three seasons of his career has nothing to prove.
On the contrary. Despite his meteoric rise after a shaky rookie year, Trevon Diggs enters the final year of his contract with many still doubting his talents.
His franchise record-tying 11 interception season in 2021 was famously discredited by PFF's stat that he gave up the most yards in the NFL as the nearest defender.
If you never knew that yards allowed was a recorded stat until talking heads and social media experts brought it up, you aren't alone.
Not to mention, Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn's scheme is primarily a zone concept, with very little man to man coverage.
This means that even if another player misses his zone assignment, if Diggs is the closest, he gets the credit (blame) for the completion and subsequent yards gained.
Does it make sense if the catch is made 15 yards away from him? No it doesn't, but those are the consequences of that particular stat.
Diggs' interception total came back down to earth in 2022, recording only three for the season.
However, he improved his game exponentially in nearly every other aspect of his position.
Miraculously, we heard next to nothing about that yards allowed stat after the 2022 season.
I'd like to believe people came to their senses, but the truth is it no longer fit their narrative that Diggs “isn't as good as Cowboys fans think he is”.
They can say what they want. I'll stick with the facts. The facts are that Trevon is an elite cornerback in this league, and is about to be paid handsomely for it.
Stephon Gilmore
Like the other veteran acquired on the other side of the ball, Stephon Gilmore was brought in for a 5th round pick, ending his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts.
Gilmore brings a wealth of experience and production to a young cornerback room.
Since being drafted in 2012, Gilmore ranks 5th in the NFL with 29 interceptions in that time frame.
That number is on par with star safety Tyrann Mathieu, and ahead of other notable players like Casey Hayward and Darius Slay in the same time span.
His best season came in 2019 as a member of the New England Patriots.
Gilly was awarded 2019 Defensive Player of the Year with six interceptions and 20 passes defensed.
When targeted, he allowed only a 50.5% completion rate and a 44.1 QB Rating.
Make no mistake, Gilmore is not the same player as four years ago, but he is not as far removed as people may think.
We will never know when the Cowboys first put Gilmore on their radar, but it's a safe bet that playing against him last season definitely moved the needle.
Gilmore had arguably his best game of the season in Dallas Week 13.
The Colts were dismantled by the score of 54-19, but don't fault Gilmore for that.
He was targeted five times, giving up only two completions for 19 yards. He also intercepted Dak Prescott, and held him to an 11.7 QB Rating when targeted.
Those are shutdown cornerback numbers, and Dallas is very fortunate to have him on the team to mentor the next young player in the trio.
DaRon Bland
The rookie 5th round pick out of Fresno State University burst onto the scene with five interceptions in 2022.
Thrust into a larger role after Jourdan Lewis tore his Achilles tendon, DaRon Bland delivered in ways that nobody expected.
Still behind previous draft picks Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright on the depth chart, it was a far-fetched idea that Bland would get significant playing time.
Bland worked hard in practice, and eventually earned the Nickel cornerback reps over the aforementioned Joseph and Wright. The rest of the story is history.
He has a nose for the football in coverage, and is not afraid to be a physical tackler.
Pro Football Reference credits him with 54 tackles on the season, and only five missed tackles for the year.
As the season wore on, another injury in the secondary to Anthony Brown prompted Dan Quinn to give Bland an opportunity to play at outside cornerback.
Bland played better than any other player given the chance opposite of Trevon Diggs in the defensive lineup, but he was wildly more effective in slot coverage.
What is next for the young cornerback? How will he build on a five interception season?
There is much room for improvement if you take a close look at the numbers.
Bland surrendered 71.4% of the passes thrown his way. He also gave up five touchdowns and an 82.4 QB Rating when targeted.
Another offseason to work on his technique and mechanics should be the remedy to bring those numbers down to a more desired level.
If Bland can continue on the prototypical trajectory for a second year player, the Dallas Cowboys have an argument for the best cornerback trio in the NFL.
