A step behind? Have the cowboys improved their defensive back room from 2024?

The Dallas Cowboys had great hopes for their defensive back unit in the 2024 season. They had two all-pro-cornerbacks on the outside; Daron Bland, the King of Pick-6, and Trevon Diggs, who intercept all three games on average. The Jourdan Lewis nickel corner was one of the best slot corners in the league.

The security room had two solid starters in Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson as well as the backups Markques Bell and Juanyeh Thomas had given Dallas Quality Defensive Snaps. Unfortunately, injuries have prevented the cowboys from playing together a combination of this unit except for one game. And over time on NO Man, the defensive back room will look a little different in 2025. The question is that Dallas has upgraded the device overall?

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The defense as a whole is under new leadership, and Matt Eberflus takes over Mike Zimmer. This is also based on the position of coaches, since Al Harris is no longer in the building, replaced by Andre Curtis, one of several coaches who came with the new DC from Chicago. How for the players in the field?

The loss of Lewis, who signed a lucrative slot corner-free agent deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, could cripple to defend Dallas. Dallas exchanged a selection of day 3 against Kaiir Elam, a former selection of Buffalo Bills in the first round, which was still in his rookie contract.

The team then designed the ECU-outstanding Shavon Revel Jr., who many for talents in the first round, but an ACL injury had it in third place. However, both newcomers are outside of the corners and Bland is also an all-project outside. It could be a net negative to bring it back to the slot.

Elam and Revel Jr. could each use as insurance if the DIGGS injury connects its game. This leaves the cowboys with minimal security inside. Israel Mukuamu played a successful playoff game in the slot a few seasons ago, but not much since then. Caelen Carson was promising in front of a shoulder injury, but was never the same afterwards. Kemon Hall and Troy Pride Jr. are opportunities, but in reality there are deep pieces and it would not be a clever option to rely on them.

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The security room didn’t change much. The veteran starters got one year older and the younger boys have become smarter for a year. Did the four players cross enough to get new starters? Only time will show it.

Dallas added three possible security options as non -dragged freelance agents (UDFA). Alijah Clark, Zion Childdress and Mike Smith Jr. both Bell and Thomas were former Udfa players who are now important participants, and if one of the new people can do that, unity could be improved.

The way to compensate for Lewis’ departure depends on how the new additions are provided. The cowboys should either see something that Elam has not shown in three years, an ability to pro-Bowl caliber or a completely healthy diggs or a complete step into the campaign of the year. This would have to be combined with Bland that move back in and play on a level similar to Lewis.

There are far too many eventualities to look at this unit better than that of last season.

This article originally appeared in Cowboys Wire: Cowboys changed the depth of defensive, but have they improved?