Cowboys talent tiers: Defensive backs

Very Good

S Jalen Thompson

Dallas made Thompson their highest-paid safety at $11 million per year, so they must feel pretty good about how he’ll fit in the new defense. It’s a little concerning that he’s never been to a Pro Bowl in five years as a starter, but he’s also been the wingman to the much-decorated Budda Baker. The hope is that Thompson will now be the catalyst among Dallas’ safeties, and the contract he received shows that Parker and the Cowboys are confident. We’ll trust their judgment and give Thompson this bump in the rankings.

Good Enough

CB Shavon Revel Jr.
CB Cobie Durant
CB Caelen Carson
CB Reddy Steward
CB Derion Kendrick
CB Josh Butler
CB Trikweze Bridges
CB Corey Ballentine
S P.J. Locke
DB Alijah Clark
DB Zion Childress

As mentioned before, we have a big pool of options for various spots along the CB and S depth charts, even in the upper spots. Who makes the team and where they end up on those charts will be a summer-long process, but some guys have early leads on their spots. For example, Shavon Revel is a clear front-runner for a starting role. Based on last year, and especially given all the time he spent getting his body right, it’s not hard to see Revel as at least an average starter in 2026. We all hope for more, and the coaches and front office echo our excitement, but at least he seems to have a solid floor.

Free agent pickups Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick also seems like quality guys for potential CB3 and CB4 roles. But they’ll face competition from incumbents like Caelen Carson, Reddy Steward, and Josh Butler. Even before new additions from the draft, there probably aren’t enough jobs to go around for all of these guys. Throw in other potential risers like Trikweze Bridges and Zion Childress, and who knows what the final group looks like? The key here is that with so many options, we can feel better about whoever earns the coaches’ trust.

As a versatile depth guy, P.J. Locke also seems suited to that role. He’s one that could surprise us, one of the few handpicked “Parker guys” from the offseason. We’ll see what his ceiling ends up being, but again, his floor as a rotation piece feels solid.

Causes for Concern

CB DaRon Bland
S Malik Hooker
S Markquese Bell

In terms of swing factors on this roster, Bland has about as much boom-or-bust potential as anyone. If healthy, he could be back to Pro Bowl form. But foot injuries are among the scariest in modern sports, and Bland’s missed 15 games over the last two seasons thanks to his. You can tell the Cowboys are concerned about him going forward with this now-crowded CB room, having somewhat hedged their bets. But Bland getting right would be a huge push toward getting this defense competitive again.

At safety, Malik Hooker’s starting job may not be certain going forward. One of those spots should belong to Jalen Thompson now, so Hooker will be fighting off P.J. Locke and perhaps a rookie for his spot. There’s no great cap benefit to cutting Hooker now after his deal got reworked, so he should be in the rotation no matter what. But in what will almost certainly be his final season with Dallas, he may slide down the depth chart on his way out.

Markquese Bell’s recent legal troubles aren’t the best way to improve his standing with the team, but it’s unlikely to cost him a job or even much playing time. How he adjusts to Parker’s arrival is far more relevant, having bounced between safety and linebacker the last two years. Bell’s LB experience may end up being more valuable to the team now, especially if the positions is till thin coming out of the offseason.

With a clear lack of top-end talent, we understand why names like Caleb Downs, Mansoor Delane, and Jermod McCoy have remained ever-present in Cowboys draft discussions. And if Dallas goes LB or EDGE at 12, other DBs like Dillon Thieneman, Colton Hood, and Avieon Terrell have been hot names at the 20th pick.

Given where the depth is in this class, the best strategy may be to focus on LB and EDGE on Thursday night and wait for the third round for a corner. There general consensus around the 92nd pick is that potential corners like Davison Igbinosun, Malik Muhammad, or Devin Moore could have more upside than the LB/EDGE prospects. But that strategy is very dependent on 31 other teams and almost three whole rounds of drafting, so that introduces countless variables.

That said, another argument is that once you get to late Friday night, the DB options may not be much better than what you already have. While a Downs or Delane would likely walk in as the best player at S or CB, where would a guy like Muhammad rank? We have a lot of prospects who could work well for CB3 and below, so if a rookie isn’t a likely starter then his usefulness takes a big hit. That’s when Dallas may decide they’ll get more out someone at thinner defensive spots, or even start looking at some offensive needs.

When we say Thursday night is going to be wild, this really illustrates why. Dallas could use any of the top talent at any defensive position but tackle, but the 12th pick puts them dangerously close to missing out on all of the blue chippers. While we assume that a trade up would probably before an EDGE or Sonny Styles, it’s not hard to see it also being for Downs or Delane. This defense simply needs more playmakers, and the Cowboys may have to get aggressive on Thursday night to land one.