Shavon Revel Jr. has looked the part in Oxnard, but the Cowboys corner still has one problem hanging over all the buzz: the flags keep finding him.
Dallas used a third-round pick on Revel in the 2025 NFL Draft because the upside was obvious, and that bet came with patience attached. His rookie year was mostly swallowed up by a knee injury recovery, but Year 2 is a different story. The Cowboys are in a win-now stretch, and Revel can’t just be a promising name anymore.
That pressure is made a little heavier by the fact that Cobie Durant has settled into the No. 2 cornerback spot on the boundary opposite DaRon Bland. Durant’s strong offseason carried straight into training camp, which means Revel has to force his way into the conversation rather than wait for it to open up.
He has started doing exactly that over the first two padded practices.
Monday was the kind of day that gets people talking. Multiple reporters said Revel broke up three passes, and the performance went beyond just batting balls away. The reports out of camp described a defender who looked more confident, faster in his closing burst, and more comfortable making plays against top receivers.
Revel said the challenge is helping him grow.
"There's a reason [CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens] are top-five [in the NFL], for real," Revel Jr. told reporters. "You see it watching last week.
They make me better. They're sharpening my tools each and every day."
That confidence showed up again Tuesday, which matters because one strong day in camp can be noise. Two straight standouts start to feel real. Even so, the same issue that followed Revel at East Carolina and then followed him into his rookie season has already surfaced again in Oxnard: he grabs too much.
In his lone full season at East Carolina, Revel was penalized six times. Last season in Dallas, he was flagged five times in just seven games and five starts. That kind of number is a problem for any corner, and especially for one trying to carve out a bigger role in a defense that can’t afford self-inflicted mistakes.
Reporters noted a defensive pass interference call on Revel, and there was also a clip that made the rounds from Tuesday’s 1-on-1 work, where he clearly held KaVontae Turpin beyond the five-yard window. The drill is tough, sure, but the lesson is still the same: he has to stop giving officials a reason to reach for the flag.
That matters even more with the competition around him. Bland is playing well.
Durant is playing well. Even fourth-round rookie Devin Moore has apparently been showing enough to stay in the mix.
So the hype around Revel is real, and the early camp work has been encouraging. But for it to mean anything, the Cowboys need him to clean up the one flaw that keeps showing up: the jersey tugging, the holding, the penalties that can erase all the good stuff in a hurry.
In Other News...
Cowboys Defense Raises An Early Concern As Camp Nears The End
As training camp winds down in Oxnard, Brian Schottenheimer is still treating the Cowboys roster as a work in progress, saying the 2026 group is not yet finalized. But the bigger takeaway from one recent practice was on the defensive side, where a routine camp rep offered an early glimpse at the kind of communication issues that can linger this time of year, especially with a new coordinator trying to install his system.
Christian Parker is running the defense for the first time in Dallas after serving as the Eagles pass defense coordinator, and the transition is already under the microscope. One play that stood out involved KaVontae Turpin getting free on a catch, a reminder that the Cowboys are still ironing out details in the secondary and that the final preseason stretch may matter more for the defense than the calendar suggests. [Read more 🡒]
Maxx Crosby Just Gave Cowboys Fans A Reason To Dream
Maxx Crosbys name has hovered around the Cowboys before, and its back in the conversation again for all the usual reasons. Dallas has not hidden its willingness to make a splash if the right player becomes available, and Crosby fits the profile of a star defender who would instantly change the feel of a roster looking for more difference-makers. His recent positive comments about Dak Prescott only added a little more intrigue to a situation that already had Cowboys fans watching the Raiders closely.
Prescotts place at No. 31 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026 list has already kept his name in the national discussion, and Crosbys view of him only strengthens the sense that Dallas still has real star power at quarterback. The bigger question is whether Crosby eventually decides the Raiders direction no longer matches his own. If that door ever opens, the Cowboys would almost certainly be in the mix, and they have made it clear they are prepared to chase big moves if one can push them closer to contention. [Read more 🡒]
Cobie Durant Is Making Dallas Rethink A Key Defensive Battle
Through six practices in Oxnard, the Cowboys have pushed the pace and the competition has started to sharpen, especially in a secondary that still has a few roles up for grabs. One of the early standouts has been Cobie Durant, the free agent cornerback who signed a one-year deal in March and has looked like more than just a depth addition as Dallas gets deeper into preseason mode.
Durants appeal is obvious: he brings experience, he arrives off a strong 2025 season with the Rams and he has given the Cowboys another credible option in a cornerback room that could use one. If the weeks ahead keep unfolding the same way, Dallas may have to seriously consider him for a starting job opposite Daron Bland, especially with the competition behind him still sorting itself out. [Read more 🡒]