Story by
Are Cowboys worried or excited if this $4M FA is top at his position?
- Story by
- Are Cowboys worried or excited if this $4M FA is top at his position?
Call me jaded, but when things look too good to be true for the Dallas Cowboys , they probably are. Cobie Durant , an offseason standout in OTAs and minicamps, is by all accounts the Cowboys' top cornerback right now. Yes, lofty expectations await DaRon Bland upon his return from injury, but it's Durant who looks to be the safest bet for Dallas in 2026.
Signed on a one-year, $4 million contract this past March, Durant felt like a value signing from the start. The 28-year-old is a 39-game starter in the NFL. He has 26 passes defensed and seven interceptions. At the time, he represented the floor at Dallas' cornerback position. Now he's flirting with the ceiling.
Advertisement
Durant made regular headlines throughout OTAs and minicamps this offseason. His intelligence, maturity and versatility have been as apparent as his ability in coverage. As things stand now, there's a very real possibility Durant is CB1 in 2026. For as cool as that sounds, it's equal parts frightening.
Based on his contract value with the Cowboys, there wasn't a major free agent demand for Durant this past offseason. Los Angeles made no known effort to retain him and even Dallas avoided signing him to anything more than a one-year commitment. Even if he was slotted no higher than CB3 in LA, it seems like a red flag that the Rams decided to rebuild their cornerback room without a proven entity like him in it.
Maybe Durant is coming into his own here in his fifth season and maybe he is about to take the next step in development. But maybe this is just a case of an average player looking great because he's surrounded by bad players. Dallas' cornerback room isn't exactly a star-studded cast of characters these days. Cowboys' fans hope it's the former, but no one can deny the latter is a distinct possibility.
Advertisement
Pro Football Focus graded Durant 41 out of 112 corners last year, marking his best season as a pro. It's almost undeniable the Cowboys got a steal when they inked Durant to a $4M contract this year but isn't it at least mildly concerning that he already looks like the best cornerback on the roster?
You can follow Reid on X @ReidDHanson and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Are Cowboys worried or excited if this $4M FA is top at his position?
