4 days ago
Defender who has banked $115 million is ideal option for Cowboys
To say the Dallas Cowboys cornerback room is beaten up, is a massive understatement. Trevon Diggs and Shevon Revel, two of the three top CB talents on the roster, have yet to return from 2024 injuries, making DaRon Bland the only true starter playing in training camp.
With Caelen Carson, a second-year draft pick, recovering from an injury sustained in earlier in camp, the cornerback room has been a revolving door of street free agents and safety conversions. It's led to big days from opposing wide receiver groups and growing concern each day the regular season inches closer.
Calls to sign free agent CB Stephon Gilmore have been mounting in recent weeks with hopes the former All-Pro could be the Band-Aid the Cowboys need to survive the increasingly tenuous situation they have at CB.
Unlike the fanbase, the Cowboys themselves haven't been so hellbent on addressing the position with a proven veteran like Gilmore. To them there isn't a rush to act quite yet. They see this as a great opportunity to audition and develop their own young defensive backs in various roles.
Zion Childress, an UDFA rookie, has already started to shine under these circumstances. The converted safety has been playing a hybrid role in the slot as of late and is seizing an opportunity that might not have been present had the Cowboys CB been fully healthy this summer.
Israel Mukuamu has been a handy moveable part, while fringe roster players Troy Pride and Kemon Hall have flashed matching up against various prominent receivers. Perhaps no player has helped himself more than former Bills first rounder, Kaiir Elam. Elam has embraced the change of scenery and taken on more of a leadership role with so many expected starters absent from practices. Elam is a virtual lock to begin the season as a starting boundary CB now and may even retain the role for the entirety of the year if he keeps playing as well as he has.
Unlike the young prospects, Gilmore doesn't need all the work training camp offers. At 34, Gilmore is able to hit the ground running as a pro. He's looking for the right opportunity to arise and seems to be happy waiting it out to see where that opportunity might be. After all, he's banked more than $115 million in salary across his storied career. Dallas very well could be that opportunity. Then again, they might not be. It's truly a wait and see situation.
The good news is Gilmore remains an option as the front offices stance may be loosening. Like most veterans he probably has no desire to join a training camp this summer. That means the Cowboys needn't be in a rush to sign him. They should continue what they're doing, testing out down-roster options and experimenting internally.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Stephon Gilmore remains an ideal fallback for Cowboys secondary
