The NFL is short on sentiment when it comes to roster building. With All-Pro cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland in the building, the Dallas Cowboys still went out and drafted East Carolina’s Shavon Revel in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Normally, this move might raise eyebrows, but Diggs and Bland have had trouble staying on the field at the same time. Diggs played in only 11 games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending knee injury that puts his 2025 season in jeopardy.
Meanwhile, Bland only played in seven games in 2024 after starting the season on injured reserve due to a stress fracture.
The Cowboys Aren’t Taking Any Chances at Cornerback
As cornerback continues to emerge as a premium position in the NFL, teams are clamoring for shutdown talent. The Cowboys are no different. According to PFSN’s Sterling Xie, Dallas could be plotting a major shakeup at cornerback.
“On paper, the Dallas Cowboys should have one of the NFL’s best cornerback duos between Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland,” Xie wrote. “Both have been First Team All-Pro selections and highly disruptive ball hawks at different points in their career. However, because of injuries, the two played only one game together in 2024.”
Specifically, Xie pointed to Bland as the odd man out.
“Now, with Bland in a contract year, it’s questionable if we’ll see him in a Cowboys uniform for much longer,” Xie wrote. “Dallas took one of the most intriguing swings of any team on Day 2 by drafting East Carolina cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. Although his draft stock sank due to a September torn ACL, Revel profiled as a first-round talent due to his press-man coverage ability and ball skills. If Revel is healthy, it could be difficult to keep him off the field.
“The saving grace for Bland is that both Revel and Diggs have uncertain health situations, with the latter undergoing a major knee procedure in January. Still, Bland should continue to hold trade value into the season, and he could be a strong midseason trade candidate if the Cowboys’ season goes sideways again.”
Big Decisions Loom in Cowboys’ Defensive Backfield
Diggs is a ball-hawking corner who thrives in man coverage. He’s usually put on an opposing team’s best receiver. The 6’2″, 195-pounder had 11 passes defended in 2024 with two picks. He has great closing speed and is excellent at reading a quarterback’s eyes.
Bland (6’0″, 197 pounds) led the entire league with nine interceptions in 2023. That included five pick-sixes which set a new single-season record, besting a mark shared by three players: Eric Allen (four in 1993), Ken Houston (four in 1971), and Jim Kearney (four in 1972). Bland was named First-Team All-Pro and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2023.
Still, Revel is too intriguing of an option to ignore. The 6’3″, 193-pounder played 24 games at East Carolina where he recorded 70 tackles along with three interceptions and 15 passes defended — and, Revel probably would have padded those stats if a torn ACL didn’t shorten his 2024 campaign after just three games.