The Dallas Cowboys have a strong secondary. With some great moves and casual drafting, the team has put together one of the best units they’ve had in a long time. In fact, it has us wondering how far we have to go back to remember feeling good about the defensive linebacker group.
But before we start delving into past units, let’s run down the main cast of characters we can expect to see a lot of in the upcoming season. Since the Cowboys like to go with a lot of three-safety looks, we’re going to go with the two outside corners, the hole corner, and the monster three-headed safety we’re so used to seeing.
Team 2023
Trevon Diggs
In his second year in the league, the former Alabama cornerback had 11 interceptions. He’s already an All-Pro and comes out running Pro Bowl seasons. While he’s been checked for plays he didn’t make, Diggs has an impressive talent on the ball. He has more interceptions than the last two years Las Vegas Raiders football team. With a new contract on the horizon, the Cowboys could lock down one of the most prominent cornerbacks in the league for many years to come.
Stephen Gilmore
Speaking of a senior cornerback, this was a title Gilmour has held for most of his career. This five-time Pro Bowler is entering his 12th season in the NFL but remains a consistent defender on the outside. He’s had four Pro Bowl seasons over the past five years with the last season with the Colts being the only omission, however, he finished with a coverage score of 81.1 (seventh best in the league). Athleticism may not be there at 33 years old, but he’s a very smart player and should help the Cowboys get one of the best CB tandems in the NFL.
Daron Bland
This fifth-round pick from old little Sacramento State had a totally fresh season, finishing with five interceptions on the year. After not seeing any defensive tackles in five of his first six games, Bland went into action after Jordan Lewis was injured. The rookie started the last seven games of the season playing both indoors and outdoors for the Cowboys and surprisingly turned into the next best thing at linebacker after Diggs. Now, with Gilmour on the roster, Bland can just focus on the corner role in the slot, a role he has been adept at last year, allowing the team to have a very strong set-up at the start.
Jaron Kerse
Little did we know Dan Quinn would turn this “just another guy” backup defenseman/special teams contributor into an impact starting safety. Kerse made more starts his first year in Dallas than he did during his first five years in the league along with Minnesota and Detroit. Similar to Gilmore, it’s not about sports with him. Kearse is a smart player who reacts quickly and uses his size to his advantage. While he’s not the best strong safety (that’s Donovan Wilson) nor free safety (that’s Malik Hooker) on the team, he’s more of a full safety and shows up all over the tape.
Hooker owner
Another low-cost free agent marvel, Hooker showed what kind of player he could be if he could just keep himself on the court. Amazingly, this is exactly what he was able to do in the time he was in Dallas. In just two seasons with the team, Hooker played in 31 games, just five fewer than he played during his four years with Indianapolis. Last season, he set a career high in interceptions (3) and set a new career high in tackles (62). He’s the Cowboys’ best safety coverage and continues to be a solid piece through high school.
Donovan Wilson
Wilson is everyone’s favorite safe because he made more splashes than the opening scene in Jaws. His career has had a bit of an up and down due to missing time with injury and having his share of the skateboarding game in that infamous unit for 2020, but he put things together last season. Whether it’s separating, picking, stripping, or just living in the attacking arena, Wilson has shown he can do it all. When he smelled blood, he was done. Just when you thought it was safe to run left, the Cowboys resurfaced on Wilson and would continue his feeding frenzy for several years to come.
These six players make a very strong secondary group. The Cowboys have more depth as third-year hybrid DB Israel Mukuamu is expected to contribute as well, and they traded in Southern Miss cornerback Eric Scott Jr. The 2021 2nd-day draft group of Kelvin Joseph and Nanchon Wright look their way out as does veteran Jordan Lewis who has one year left on his contract. With a base salary of $4.5 million this year, it’s hard to justify keeping Lewis on the team when he’s buried in the chart below of so many cheaper, more promising players.
With all that said, how good is this set? In the latest episode of The Star Seminar, I asked my podcast partner Rabblerousr to go back 30 years, identify the best high school combos, and then compare them to the Cowboys’ current roster. Make sure to check it out if you want to hear what we said. Also, be sure to subscribe to Blogging The Boys so you don’t miss any of our episodes or other BTB shows. Apple devices can sign up here And Spotify users can sign up here.
But today, we put the ball in your court. Which units do you think are the strongest? Let us know in the comments. Also, this is your chance to vote on the options Rabs came up with.
# 3 – Team 2009
The secondary consisted of Terrence Newman, Mike Jenkins, Orlando Scandrick, Ken Hamlin, Gerald Sensabaugh, and Allen Ball
vote
Which subset is better?
# 2 – Team 1996
High school consisted of Deion Sanders, Kevin Smith, Darren Woodson, George Teague, Brooke Marion, and Bill Bates
vote
Which subset is better?
# 1 – Team 1993
High school consisted of Kevin Smith, Larry Brown, Darren Woodson, Thomas Everett, James Washington, and Brock Marion