The Cowboys still need some depth at corner.
The 2024 NFL Draft is a week away, and while nobody knows what the Cowboys will do with their first-round pick, everyone seems to know the positions they’ll target throughout the draft.
There are two needs on the offensive line in addition to holes at running back and linebacker, while depth is needed at defensive tackle, edge rusher, and receiver. And with only seven picks as of right now, the Cowboys definitely don’t need to add another spot to the list of needs.
That said, there is legitimate reason for the Cowboys to target the cornerback position in the later rounds. The emphasis in this statement rests on the “later rounds” segment, because cornerback is definitely not a need in 2024. The Cowboys will welcome back Trevon Diggs from his ACL tear, while DaRon Bland is coming off an All-Pro season. Additionally, veteran Jourdan Lewis was brought back on a one-year deal after a strong finish to last season.
Depth behind these three is also mostly in place. Nahshon Wright is entering his fourth season in Dallas, and Eric Scott Jr. was a rookie last year after Dallas traded up to land him. Josh Butler flashed in the preseason last year, and safety Israel Mukuamu has played at cornerback in the past, both in college and with the Cowboys. Even Stephon Gilmore remains available in free agency, though it does appear that a reunion is unlikely at this point.
The Cowboys are in a good spot at cornerback for this upcoming season – arguably the only position in Dallas that genuinely seems fine right now – but the immediate future offers looming questions. Lewis will once again be a free agent after this season and, despite solid play for the majority of his career, the soon-to-be 29 year old likely isn’t part of the long-term plans here. Wright and Mukuamu will also be free agents after this season, limiting the pool of candidates to fill the starting role if Lewis hypothetically leaves after 2024.
As for the other starters, there are other kinds of questions. Diggs is locked up through 2028, but there is always the question of how his body will recover from such an injury. As for Bland, he’ll be a free agent after the 2025 season and will likely command top dollar. The Cowboys have been more reluctant than usual when it comes to paying their star players lately, and that could be the case once again with Bland.
There is also the Mike Zimmer factor. The new defensive coordinator is a defensive backs coach by trade and has a specific skill set he looks for in his corners. Zimmer also loves drafting the position. In his eight seasons as the Vikings head coach, Zimmer drafted 12 different cornerbacks, with four of them being top 50 picks. The Cowboys have too many pressing needs elsewhere to take a cornerback that early, but why shouldn’t they let Zimmer put his stamp on this secondary, especially considering the contract status of several current players?
The Cowboys are no stranger to finding success stories at the cornerback spot late in the draft. Bland was a fifth-round pick, while Lewis was a third-round pick. Previous Cowboys starters who were taken outside of the top 50 include Chidobe Awuzie, Anthony Brown, and Orlando Scandrick. Could the Cowboys look to find the next one in this year’s class? Perhaps they should.
It also helps that this year’s draft has a fairly deep cornerback class, and our own Dana Bartholomew put together a list of three late-round cornerback prospects just last week that the Cowboys could target. It might not be a guarantee that Dallas pursues this position, but don’t rule it out as a possibility.
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