By the end of March, when the Cowboys had made no move to re-sign Stephon Gilmore as he sat waiting for the right free-agent offer, it was clear that the future Hall of Famer’s time in Dallas was done. The Cowboys’ salary-cap woes have been well-documented, and the $10 million Gilmore eventually got from Minnesota probably was never going to fit the Dallas budget. Still it felt risky, not bringing back a veteran who had performed well in 2023.
On Saturday, the risk became apparent: Much like last year, with Trevon Diggs, the Cowboys have had a star cornerback go down to injury, throwing their depth at the position into question. This time it was Diggs’ bookend, All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland.
The Cowboys announced Saturday morning, before the final preseason game against the Chargers, that Bland has a stress fracture in his foot that will require surgery and keep him out for six-to-eight weeks. Immediately, the Gilmore regret resurfaced, and thoughts of adding another veteran to slide into Bland’s place cropped up.
At CBS Sports, the arrow pointed to one of the best available unsigned free agent DBs: former Dolphins corner Xavien Howard, the 31-year-old four-time Pro Bowler who has led the NFL in interceptions twice in his eight-year career.
DaRon Bland Among Top CBs in NFL
In an article titled, “All-Pro CB DaRon Bland out 6-8 weeks: Cowboys’ top available options to overcome loss of corner,” analyst Garrett Podell wrote that Howard would be the top free-agent option, even as he fends off some legal issues that might create uncertainty around a future possible suspension.
He notes:
“Howard is one of the NFL’s most decorated cornerbacks of the last five to six years, making either a Pro Bowl and/or an All-Pro team in four of five seasons from 2018-2022. During that stretch, the Dolphins ran man coverage at the highest rate in the NFL, on 45.9% of those plays. The Cowboys ran man coverage on 36.1% of their defensive snaps in 2023, the third-highest rate in the entire NFL.
“Sure, new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has been making tweaks to Dallas’ defense as he succeeds Dan Quinn, but he isn’t reinventing the wheel. That means Howard could potentially be a scheme fit. One thing to weigh with Howard is his legal process regarding allegations of sharing revenge porn.”
Problem is, Howard struggled with age and injury in 2023, and the Dolphins had little trouble letting him go. His coverage grade at Pro Football Focus in 2023 was 51.9, which ranks 178th among cornerbacks.
By comparison, Bland rated an 89.9 grade, which was third in the NFL among corners, and Gilmore was 72.3, which was 46th.
Cowboys Confident in Rookie CB?
Indeed, the Cowboys appear to have some confidence in rookie fifth-round pick Caelen Carson, from Wake Forest. He is the first man up to replace Bland, which would be the ideal situation for the Cowboys.
Relying on Carson, despite the promise he has shown, will come with risk. Still, he impressed coach Mike McCarthy in training camp.
“Yeah. I mean, Caelen looks really good,” McCarthy said in late July, via the Dallas Morning News. “His raw talent and athletic ability just jumps off at you. … One thing about not being in pads, the perimeter players do have an opportunity to really challenge themselves. And some of things we’re doing in the secondary, you know, are different than emphasizing what we’ve done in the past. And it’s great work on both sides.”
Also of note, though, is that when team owner Jerry Jones was asked about the possibility of signing Howard or any other free-agent defensive back, he quickly shot down the notion.
“Not at all. Not in any way, no,” he said.
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