Cowboys tender young CB for depth, maybe more after promising 2025 campaign

An unexpectedly big part of the Cowboys secondary in 2025 will be back in 2026.

The team has tendered second-year cornerback Reddy Steward , per a report from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. Steward was an exclusive rights free agent, so this move by the front office essentially binds him to the Cowboys for one season at the league minimum salary; no negotiations with other teams are permitted.

Steward, who will turn 25 this spring, played one game for Chicago under Matt Eberflus in 2024. He then moved to Minnesota to spend 2025's offseason with the Vikings but did not make the final roster. The Cowboys claimed Steward off waivers in late August.

As a Cowboy, Steward saw action in all 17 regular-season games of the 2025 campaign. He was pressed into heavier service- and five starts- with injuries to Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland . He finished the season with 63 tackles (fifth-most on the team), 1.5 sacks, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and three passes defended.

Steward was on the field for nearly half of the defense's snaps in 2025 and spent a lot of that time at the nickel position. Thanks to a promising first year in Dallas , he figures to be- at the very least- a key depth piece moving forward in new coordinator Christian Parker's revamped scheme.

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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys tender CB Reddy Steward, keeping him out of free agency