Training Camp Preview
Training camp is a place of optimism for fans. Teams are undefeated, and hopes are high for the season. For players, some are getting ready for the football season, and others are fighting each day to stick around. Here is what I am watching from every position group, switching to the cornerbacks.
Cornerback Overview
Battle to Watch:
Who wins the CB2 job opposite DaRon Bland?
Biggest Question:
How will this group look with new coaching and pieces after an abysmal 2025?
Player Under the Most Pressure:
Caelen Carson
Sleeper to Watch:
Cobie Durant
DaRon Bland #26
Camp Storyline: Can Bland Return to All-Pro Form?
Where He Stands
DaRon Bland enters his fifth season as the supposed #1 CB. Without Trevon Diggs on the other side, this is Bland’s room. Unfortunately, nagging injuries have started to make fans question his ability. A foot stress fracture ended Bland’s 2024 training camp, and he played through that injury as it was reaggravated and required another surgery to end 2025.
Bland had an All-Pro 2023, leading the NFL in interceptions. He was emerging as the best cornerback in Dallas, but that treatment did not last. Fast forward to 2025: Dallas finished near the bottom of the league in several passing categories, and Bland wasn’t able to make the same game-changing impact that made him a household name two years earlier. Now the organization is counting on him to stay healthy and become the stabilizing force in a completely rebuilt secondary.
Going into training camp, the team will hope to see Bland get back to 100% early on in Oxnard. He will be a part of a new regime with Christian Parker, ideally leading this cornerback room and starting as the #1.
53-Man Outlook
★★★★★ – Roster Lock
Cobie Durant #2
Camp Storyline: Was Durant Brought In To Start?
Where He Stands
Cobie Durant arrives in Dallas after spending four seasons with the Rams. The former fourth-round pick out of South Carolina State developed into a reliable starter, making 39 career starts while showcasing his versatility by playing both outside corner and nickel.
He has playoff experience and production, notably with the Rams last season as they made it to the NFC Championship game. Durant isn’t the flashy signing Cowboys fans were hoping for, but he brings something the room lacked last season- experience. Most projections have him opening camp as the favorite to start opposite DaRon Bland while younger corners continue to develop and get healthy.
It will be interesting to see if Durant can just take over the #2 job like it’s his. He is only signed to a 1-year deal. Could he just be a bridge player until Revel is ready? Or is he going to make Dallas sign him long term?
53-Man Outlook
★★★★★ – Roster Lock
Shavon Revel Jr. #28
Camp Storyline: Is Revel Ready to Start?
Where He Stands
Shavon Revel Jr. was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft after starring at East Carolina. Standing 6-foot-3 with long arms and impressive athleticism, Revel possesses the physical profile teams covet in an outside cornerback. Had it not been for an ACL injury suffered during his final college season, many analysts believed he could have been selected much earlier in the draft.
His rookie season became more about recovery than production. Revel spent much of the year working back from injury while learning the speed of the NFL game. Now entering his second season healthy, Dallas expects him to compete for meaningful defensive snaps immediately. Many believe he has one of the highest ceilings in the entire secondary.
Will there be patience for Revel? There are so many questions regarding this guy, and it makes sense because the projected potential has been built to the sky. But fans may not give the patience necessary to become the starter. This year the question will be answered…is he ready?
53-Man Outlook
★★★★★ – Roster Lock
Devin Moore #29
Camp Storyline: Can the Rookie Climb the Depth Chart?
Where He Stands
Devin Moore joins the Cowboys after being selected in the 4th round in the 2026 NFL Draft out of Florida. Moore flashed impressive athletic ability throughout college but battled injuries that prevented him from reaching his full potential. Dallas believes those traits are worth developing and views him as another young piece for the future.
The rookie enters a crowded cornerback room, but his draft status gives him an early advantage over many of the veterans competing for the final roster spots. Coaches have already spoken highly of his upside, though training camp will determine just how quickly he can contribute.
Looking at Devin Moore, he could have a similar rise like Ryan Flournoy had. Moore needs to focus on filling his role and contributing where he can. If there is an opportunity to get some real snaps, he needs to make the most of it. Dallas rarely cuts draft picks, so I think he makes the team.
53-Man Outlook
★★★★☆ – Likely Makes Team
Reddy Steward #27
Camp Storyline: Can Steward Build on Last Season?
Where He Stands
Reddy Steward was quietly a bright spot for Dallas last season. Steward was signed on just before the season as a way to add depth, but he earned opportunities because of injuries and overall poor play. He played well enough to stick around for the 2026 camp.
While Steward isn’t projected as an opening-day starter, he enters training camp in a much different position than he did a year ago. Instead of simply trying to make the roster, he’ll be competing for rotational snaps in a secondary searching for consistency. Several projections have him making the final roster as one of Dallas’ top reserve corners.
He played as the nickel cornerback last season. That role is being filled by the rookie draftee and anticipated star, Caleb Downs. There are two positives for Reddy in that regard. Caleb is a safety, and not a corner, so if something happens in the safety room, Steward can step in as the starter. Also, if Downs has trouble picking it up, Steward can step in.
53-Man Outlook
★★★☆☆ – On the Bubble
Trikweze Bridges #25
Camp Storyline: Can Bridges Secure the Final Spot?
Where He Stands
Trikweze Bridges was added at the same time as Steward. He played in games last season but was more of a special teams player. He appeared in 16 games, making two starts while totaling 23 tackles, three pass breakups, and his first career interception. Bridges didn’t become a full-time starter, but he showed enough physicality and ball skills to keep himself firmly in the conversation heading into 2026.
New additions at cornerback mean he’ll have to outperform several younger players while continuing to prove his value on special teams if he hopes to stick around. He may be one of the final thoughts but all that matters is getting that spot.
The Cowboys will typically keep about 6 corners on the final 53. So the final spot could be Bridges but there will be others clawing for that spot. I don’t think what he did last year matters as this is a new coaching staff. He will need to win it in August.
53-Man Outlook
★★★☆☆ – On the Bubble
Caelen Carson #21
Camp Storyline: Last Chance For Carson?
Where He Stands
Caelen Carson has had his professional career completely derailed. He started in 2024 but missed the last 11 games with a shoulder injury, and in 2025, he was off and on the injured reserve. The Cowboys had to bring in many other corners to do a job he couldn’t fulfill.
Carson may be given a final chance to make this team. He was a promising draft pick out of Wake Forest, and fans were hyped for his play. But as no coaches remain from the group that drafted him, there is no one fighting for him to be on this team. He can only fight for himself.
Needing to make his impact where he can, he needs to be right by the coach, ready to go out onto the field every time. Is there room for Carson? Or have the recent additions been the inkling that it’s time to replace him?
53-Man Outlook
★★★☆☆ – On the Bubble
Derion Kendrick #15
Camp Storyline: Can Kendrick Revive His Career?
Where He Stands
Derion Kendrick enters Dallas looking for a fresh start after beginning his NFL career with the Rams. A former sixth-round pick, Kendrick helped Los Angeles win Super Bowl LVI as a rookie and started games during his first two seasons. His career was later derailed by injuries and inconsistency, leading him to search for another opportunity.
The Cowboys see Kendrick as a low-risk addition with starting experience but in a cornerback room full of question marks…he will have a chance. There is something to be said for being a guy who the new staff wanted to add in free agency as opposed to one of the guys they inherited after a franchise-worst year.
Kendrick is another guy who will have to stand out on special teams to be a part of this team’s 53-man roster. As any player who is the #6 corner on an NFL roster.
53-Man Outlook
★★☆☆☆ – Long Shot
Josh Butler #31
Camp Storyline: Can Butler Stay in the Rotation?
Where He Stands
Josh Butler signed with Dallas as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan State in 2023 and spent time developing before earning defensive snaps because of injuries. Butler showed flashes whenever called upon and quickly became one of the more trusted young depth players in the secondary.
Butler became an ace on special teams when he was healthy and may have earned a chance to be on this roster in 2026. With CJ Goodwin retiring, he would famously sneak onto the back of the CB room for his role on punt and kick coverage. Now there is an opportunity to take that role.
Butler may have done enough to earn the trust of special teams coordinator Nick Sorensen. There will be a few players that Sorensen will get as guarantees to be a part of his unit. But is Butler one of them?
53-Man Outlook
★☆☆☆☆ – Practice Squad candidate
Ameer Speed #39
Camp Storyline: Can Speed Make His Mark on Special Teams?
Where He Stands
Ameer Speed has built his NFL career by bouncing between several organizations while relying on his elite athleticism and special teams ability. The former Michigan State and Georgia product possesses outstanding size and speed for the position, but consistency at cornerback has prevented him from earning a long-term role.
For Speed, training camp is less about climbing the cornerback depth chart and more about proving he can provide value in every phase of the game. With so much competition ahead of him, his best opportunity to stick around may come through special teams rather than defensive snaps.
Being added to the team just a month ago may not be a completely optimistic sign, as Dallas needed to add depth to get through OTAs. How long will he stick around?
53-Man Outlook
☆☆☆☆☆ – Outside looking in
My Projection
Depth Chart
- DaRon Bland #26
- Cobie Durant #2
- Shavon Revel Jr #28
- Devin Moore #29
- Reddy Steward #27
- Trikweze Bridges #25
Practice Squad
- Josh Butler #31
- Caelen Carson #21
- Derion Kendrick #15
Misses the Cut
- Ameer Speed #39
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