In the latest chapter of a mercurial season, the Dallas Cowboys are back in playoff contention. Thursday’s win over the Kansas City Chiefs was the latest warning shot to the rest of the NFL as the Cowboys defeated Patrick Mahomes & Co. and brought themselves back in the NFC playoff picture with a 6-5-1 record.
With the Cowboys’ playoff odds increasing to 24%, according to The Athletic’s playoff predictor, Dallas needs to shore up its weaknesses. One of those problems emerged in the secondary despite Thursday’s win as rookie cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. continued to struggle as he acclimates to the NFL.
According to Pro Football Focus, Revel allowed two catches for 14 yards on three targets but the bigger issue has been his ability to tackle. Revel had three tackles on the day but had a missed tackle mixed in, revealing a larger issue that the Cowboys must address down the stretch.
Cowboys Facing Tough Decision as Rookie CB Shavon Revel Struggles vs. Chiefs
A third-round pick out of East Carolina, Revel made his debut in the Week 11 win over the Las Vegas Raiders after recovering from a torn ACL suffered with the Pirates last season. Revel was supposed to add another capable corner to Matt Eberflus’s defense, but he was underwhelming in his largest sample size (63 snaps) to date.
While Revel held up in coverage on Thursday, he had his most challenging game as a professional against the Philadelphia Eagles, allowing all three targets to be caught for 33 yards. Revel also missed a tackle in last week’s win, giving him back-to-back games with a whiff. The most damning aspect of Revel’s game came in run defense however as his 34.6 grade on Thursday brought his season grade down to 40.5.
The Cowboys would probably accept this if Revel were shutting down anything that came his way. But in a zone-based scheme, tackling is important, and the rookie CB showed signs that he can’t get the job done. Those woes are ignorable when Dallas is winning, but the conversation surrounding Revel would be a lot different had Kansas City won.
Three games into a career is awfully quick to declare someone a bust, but the Cowboys may need to make an adjustment in the present. While Revel struggled, Trikweze Bridges posted his second straight game with PFF overall (63.3) and coverage (63.0) grades over 60. Of course, Bridges also struggled in a bigger role, which could open the door for the currently-sidelined Trevon Diggs to return if he can find his way off injured reserve.
Whatever the solution, the Cowboys need to find it. Dallas could have afforded to ride through Revel’s struggles if they were out of the playoff chase, but with the Cowboys making a late charge, every decision from here on out will matter, including what they decide to do with their young corner.