Cowboys Trade Bust is Easy Demotion Candidate to Clear Room for Shavon Revel

With rookie CB Shavon Revel Jr. inching closer to making his season debut, the Cowboys will have to bench one of their struggling players.
Aug 16, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. (27) looks on before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium.
Aug 16, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. (27) looks on before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys' struggling secondary defense could get a prime reinforcement pretty soon. According to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, rookie cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. is inching closer to making his season debut after recovering from his knee injury:

"Cowboys rookie CB Shavon Revel Jr. will also have his 21-day practice window opened on Wednesday," Harris wrote on Monday. "Briefly caught up with him in the locker room, and he’s about as happy as he’s been since arriving in Dallas. Said he completely trusts the knee and is ready to get out there."

Of course, that only means that someone else will get fewer snaps, and given the way he's performed this season, Kaiir Elam is an easy candidate to choose from.

Shavon Revel Jr.'s Looming Debut Spells Trouble For Kaiir Elam

The former Buffalo Bills draft pick hasn't been good since the Cowboys acquired him in the offseason, and Elam will now find it tough to get back on the field once Revel is officially back in the mix.

Elam played 100% of defensive snaps in the first three weeks of the season. Then, with either Trevon Diggs or DaRon Bland there, his snap count dropped to 72.3%, 42.7%, and 11.9%. Diggs missed the win over the Washington Commanders with a concussion, so Elam replaced him again and played all defensive snaps, logging four total tackles (two solo).

Through his first seven games as a Cowboy, Elam has logged a modest Pro Football Focus grade of 60.0, which ranks him at 90th among 175 eligible players in his position. He's given up 19 receptions on 31 targets (61.3%) for 314 yards and a career-worst three touchdowns. He's also averaging career-worsts in yards per completion (13.9) and passer rating allowed when targeted (121.0).

Revel is a physical defensive back with great ball-hawking instincts. He makes his presence felt with his athleticism and hard-hitting style, and he was rarely burned for big gains during his days at East Carolina.

Granted, there will be a learning curve for the rookie, and it might be a little while before the Cowboys are ready to unleash him for a full game, given how much time he's lost. Even so, he was expected to be a first-round pick before his knee injury made him drop to the third round, and all signs point to his being ready to prove the doubters wrong.

If Revel makes the most of his opportunities, it's going to be hard to justify putting Elam back on the field.

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