NFL training camps are kicking off across the league, and a solid number of veteran free agents are still looking for new teams. The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a disastrous 2024, where their defense took a huge step backward.
Dallas could still use help in the secondary, and PFSN recently named them as a potential suitor for a safety with 300 career tackles.
Julian Blackmon Could Stabilize Cowboys Secondary After the Unit’s Rough 2024
Dallas had a down year overall, but the Cowboys’ defense was a major disappointment in its first year under Mike Zimmer. The unit allowed the fifth-most yards and second-most points in the league last year after allowing the fifth-fewest in each in 2023.
The Cowboys had to absorb long-term injuries to starting cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland. They also missed Micah Parsons for four games early in the season, so it’s safe to say that Dallas was rarely at its full defensive power last season.
#Cowboys owner Jerry Jones randomly takes a shot at Micah Parsons, saying even if they sign him, it doesn’t mean they’ll have him, because he was hurt for 6 games last year (fact check: he only missed 4).
He then also says they made Dak Prescott the richest player in football —… pic.twitter.com/g6T8FnEEOX
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 21, 2025
Entering 2025, the Cowboys could still add a quality defensive back, and PFSN’s Jacob Infante named Julian Blackmon as a target. He tabbed the Cowboys as a potential suitor along with the Philadelphia Eagles, Kansas City Chiefs, and Carolina Panthers.
Infante wrote, “Julian Blackmon turns just 27 years old in August, so he still has plenty left in the tank. He’s a versatile defensive back who can cover as a deep safety and defend in the box at a pretty high level. He has seven interceptions between his last two seasons with the Colts.
The aforementioned Eagles, Chiefs, and Panthers could look at Blackmon on a one-year rental and see if he’s capable of becoming a long-term answer for them at safety. Keep an eye on Dallas as a landing spot, as former Colts DC Matt Eberflus is now the defensive coordinator there.”
Blackmon was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and spent his first five seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. Other than 2021 when he tore his Achilles after six games, Blackmon has played in at least 14 games and collected 42 tackles or more each year of his career.
His best season was 2023, when he posted career highs in tackles (88), pass breakups (8), and interceptions (4). That was the final year of his rookie contract, and the Colts re-signed Blackmon to a one-year, $3.7 million contract the following spring.
Eberflus was Blackmon’s defensive coordinator his first two years in Indianapolis, and is now in the same role with Dallas. That connection, along with fellow safety and former Colt Malik Hooker, could tip the scales for Blackmon.
Hooker and Donovan Wilson are projected as the starting safeties for Dallas in 2025. Adding a versatile player like Blackmon would give Eberflus options with his personnel groups. Watch for this possibility as training camps unfold.
