Last month, just before the NFL Draft, cornerback Stephon Gilmore set the rumor mill flying at high speed with an unscheduled visit to The Star.
The 13-year veteran played for the Cowboys in 2023. He played a vital role in the team’s 12-5 record and the NFC East division title.
He also played a big part in setting an NFL record that year.
The Rise Of DaRon Bland
In 2023, Gilmore was supposed to be paired up with Trevon Diggs in the defensive backfield.
Diggs had 17 interceptions in his first three seasons. Gilmore came into the season with 29 in his 11 previous seasons.
They were supposed to shut down the opposing team’s top receivers.
That plan went out the window on the Cowboys’ practice field a few days before their third game of that season when Diggs tore his ACL and missed the rest of the year.
That injury opened the door for DaRon Bland. In his first year, and in just eight starts, in 2022, he had five interceptions.
He started every game after Diggs went down and finished with nine interceptions for the season.
Five of those went for touchdowns, setting a new record for Pick Sixes in a single season.
A lot of that was due to Gilmore covering the opponent’s top receiver. But no small amount was also due to Gilmore’s veteran guidance.
Banged-Up Secondary
The Cowboys will probably need that guidance again this fall. Diggs is recovering from another injury and may not start to open the year.
Bland also missed over half the season in 2024 and may not yet be back to full speed.
Last year’s fifth draft pick, Caelen Carson, was banged up most of his rookie year. This year’s third round pick, Shavon Revel, missed all but two of his games in his senior year with a knee injury.
He also, may not be quite all the way recovered when the year starts.
Bringing in Gilmore as an insurance policy makes an enormous amount of sense.
Early in the year, he could give the Cowboys some quality starts and allow the other cornerbacks some extra time to get game ready.
Later on? He’d be a nice veteran to have in the backfield to give the starters a break when needed.
He’d also be a solid insurance policy against any additional injuries during the season.
Gilmore will turn 35 about three weeks into the season. He wouldn’t be asked to be an every-down cornerback for 17 games.
But he might just have enough left in his legs to go along with 13 years of experience in his head to make a huge difference once again for the Cowboys.
