The 2025 NFL season is just over two months away as all 32 teams prepare for training camp in the coming weeks. Dallas Cowboys rookies and veterans will be reporting to Staybridge Suites in Oxnard, CA, beginning on July 21 as Brian Schottenheimer prepares for his first season as America's Team's head coach.
As the Cowboys prepare for the next wave of offseason workouts, one of the franchise's former cornerbacks is doing whatever it takes to land another NFL job. On Thursday, ex-Dallas ballhawk Stephon Gilmore, who's currently a free agent, revealed that he hasn't given up on playing another season in the league.
"I want to play this year. It's got to be the right situation. You know what I'm saying?" Gilmore said during his appearance on the "Money Down Podcast." "I'm not just going to sign anywhere, so it's got to be the right situation... I still love the game. I still can contribute. It's just got to be the right place."
Cowboys Must Reunite with CB Stephon Gilmore After Latest Offseason Comments
Gilmore is a former AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year and one of the best cornerbacks of the 2010s, so it isn't surprising to learn that he hasn't given up on playing another season. With that in mind, the Cowboys would be wise to roll the dice on their former defender, especially if he's willing to take a team-friendly contract.
It isn't a secret that the CB room was one of the Cowboys' biggest weaknesses in 2024. Not because of the position's performance, but because there wasn't a single Dallas cornerback who played more than seven games last season. Although the franchise used a third-round pick on East Carolina's Shavon Revel Jr. in April, adding another veteran presence isn't a bad idea — especially one the team is already familiar with.
Cowboys fans will remember Gilmore from spending the 2023 season in town following a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. The five-time Pro Bowl CB recorded 54 solo tackles, 13 broken-up passes, two interceptions, and a forced fumble in 17 starts that season, all while recording Pro Football Focus grades of 69.3 for coverage and 71.2 for defense.
Following his time in the Lone Star State, Gilmore joined the Minnesota Vikings on a one-year contract for the 2024 season. He only mustered 40 solo tackles, nine defended passes, and one INT with a 59.2 PFF coverage grade, hinting that his best days are certainly in the rearview mirror.
But even if he's no longer the elite ballhawk he once was, Gilmore is still an experienced veteran who'd shore up the depth in the Cowboys' CB room. That, combined with his Super Bowl experience, makes a reunion worth considering, especially if Dallas is concerned about any of its cornerbacks' health.
Considering how he'll likely be open to a cheaper contract at this stage of the offseason, reuniting with Gilmore is a low-risk, high-reward move the Cowboys can't ignore before training camp.