Derion Kendrick #1of the Los Angeles Rams reacts against the Cincinnati Bengals. Getty
Derion Kendrick #1 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on before a game against the Detroit Lions. Getty
Training camp is only starting to get heated up for the Dallas Cowboys in Oxnard, California, but it's also getting loud.
Plenty of position battles are being tracked by everyone, with most of the attention on what's going on with the offensive line. Dallas' defense has a lot of players fighting for spots on the roster as well.
The Cowboys ' secondary is one of the most fascinating, with a lot of new faces joining DaRon Bland and Malik Hooker , who were retained from last year. Dallas might have one player at cornerback who is proving himself worthy based on what he is communicating to everyone.
Getty Derion Kendrick #1of the Los Angeles Rams reacts against the Cincinnati Bengals .
ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer sent out a series of posts on X sharing in the thread what he is seeing in training camp. Archer pointed out a cornerback who is not going quietly into the good night.
"CB Derion Kendrick might talk more than any defender on the field. Not in a trash-talk kind of way, but in a making sure everybody knows where to be. He flashed his hands to throw off what should have been a TD catch for Marquez Valdes-Scantling ."
Kendrick is a veteran in the NFL , having played for four seasons. He started out as a sixth-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams, while later playing for the Seattle Seahawks . After a short stint in Seattle, he would return to the Rams.
In 47 career games, Kendrick racked up 102 tackles, 19 pass deflections, 4 tackles for loss, and 3 interceptions. He did suffer a serious ACL injury that cost him the 2024 season.
GettyDerion Kendrick #1 of the Los Angeles Rams looks on before a game against the Detroit Lions .
Kendrick's Rams teammate, Cobie Durant , will be one of the starters alongside Bland. Behind them, though, is going to be a backlog of talent at cornerback.
Dallas has Shavon Revel Jr., Devin Moore, Caelen Carson , and Josh Butler all fighting with Kendrick for roster spots. Revel feels like a clear lock, but the rest is completely up in the air.
Based on how Kendrick has played over the years, as long as he stays healthy, he's a threat to the other corners. His vocal leadership on the field shows the confidence and experience needed.
Last year, this was a Cowboys defense that ranked dead last against the pass, allowing 251.5 yards per game . That is something that must improve in 2026 if Dallas wants to be back in the postseason for the first time since 2023.
Whether Kendrick is going to be a part of that ride to the postseason is a question that'll linger on. There are still four weeks for him to continue down the path he is going at the moment. At this rate, he is looking like a defender who has a chance to sneak into the final roster spot in Dallas.
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