FRISCO, Texas – The football season is fast approaching.
The Cowboys will head to training camp in less than a month, giving us our first close look at Brian Schottenheimer’s initial season with the revamped roster and coaching staff. Once we arrive in Oxnard, we can start to find out more about the Cowboys’ 2025 team.
But what questions remain? We’ve put together our annual list of key questions that need to be addressed before the regular season kicks off. Our staff writers, including Patrik Walker, Tommy Yarrish, Nick Eatman, Mickey Spagnola, Kyle Youmans, and Kurt Daniels, share their insights on the most pressing issues.
In today’s segment, we’ll focus on the nickel back position. With Jourdan Lewis departing for Jacksonville in free agency, there’s a vacancy for the slot corner, which has become vital in the defense.
16) Who will take Jourdan Lewis’s place in the slot?
Tommy: Currently, I would say DaRon Bland is the frontrunner. Given the injuries within the cornerback group, the Cowboys may be left with no choice. While Bland prefers the outside and had an All-Pro season in 2023, he appears to be their best option right now. If he shifts inside, which he has during many OTA practices, it complicates things at the outside corner with many uncertainties. A key concern will be how the Cowboys adjust when Trevon Diggs and Shavon Revel Jr. are fit again. Is Revel Jr. ready to start on the outside right away, thus keeping Bland in the slot? Can players like Israel Mukuamu, Juanyeh Thomas, or Kemon Hall demonstrate their abilities in training camp? The situation is challenging, but for now, Bland serves as a reliable fallback.
Mickey: That’s a significant question, and we likely won’t have an answer until after training camp and those three preseason games. The Cowboys will first need to determine who is available for the season opener. Will Trevon Diggs be fit? Will rookie Shavon Revel be ready? Also, what about Josh Butler? These are still unknowns. Furthermore, another question awaiting resolution is whether veteran corner Kaiir Elam can step up in a starting role on the outside after being acquired in an offseason trade. Meanwhile, the Cowboys will likely keep Pro Bowl corner DaRon Bland working outside in their two cornerback formations and then in the slot for nickel situations, contingent on Juanyeh Thomas proving capable of handling the role when the season starts, allowing Bland to stay outside at the right cornerback position.
Patrik: I can’t provide a definitive answer because even the team is uncertain. I could speculate endlessly, but this is a dilemma that won’t be clarified until training camp concludes due to the extensive evaluation needed at cornerback. Will Trevon Diggs be ready at the start of camp, or before it wraps up? If he is, perhaps Kaiir Elam gets a shot at the boundary opposite Diggs, allowing Bland to return to the slot where he started behind Lewis. If Diggs isn’t prepared to play at the season’s onset, Bland becomes the only proven playmaker on the boundary, which could lead to an inexperienced corner opposite either a rookie in Shavon Revel or a second-year player in Caelen Carson, who’s also returning from injury. And where does Israel Mukuamu fit in this mix? He’ll be getting reps in the slot, alongside Juanyeh Thomas, a potential dark horse in the race to succeed Lewis. In short, the Cowboys themselves lack clarity on this issue.
Kurt: At this juncture, it’s anyone’s guess who will take on the slot position. It’s likely the Cowboys are still uncertain themselves. They have several candidates, ranging from safeties like Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell to cornerbacks like Caelen Carson and Troy Pride Jr., with others expected to return from injury. If I were to take a shot in the dark, I’d suggest Israel Mukuamu. He possesses both size and experience at corner and safety and recorded two interceptions last season. Although primarily a special teams player for the Cowboys, this could be his opportunity for a more consistent defensive role. Nonetheless, this position remains up for grabs.
