Dallas Cowboys fans were ecstatic to see rookie cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. make his NFL debut in Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Revel, who was projected to be a first-round pick in this past year’s NFL draft, fell to the third round because of a torn ACL in his last year at East Carolina, giving Cowboys fans hope that the team
Revel didn’t start against the Raiders, but played 19 defensive snaps, which was a good step in the right direction to get him up to speed since he couldn’t participate in training camp or play in the preseason.
Since his debut in Week 11, Revel has seen his snap count increase every week, and he’s made two starts, which is what Dallas fans want to see. That said, Revel’s play thus far has been shaky at best.
Opponents are targeting the rookie as they’re completing 77.8% of their passes against him with a 138.2 passer rating. Revel is also given up a touchdown in back-to-back weeks. This is to be expected as he’s a rookie who didn’t have a training camp. However, fans have pointed out on social media how defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is not putting the young corner in a position to succeed.
Matt Eberflus Failing to Use Shavon Reval Correctly in Cowboys’ Defensive Scheme
Following the Cowboys’ Week 14 loss to the Lions, many Dallas fans highlighted that Eberflus is playing Revel in zone coverage and not in man-to-man, which is what he excels at. In that game vs. Detroit, the rookie cornerback allowed four completions (six targets) for 39 yards and a TD.
For most Cowboys fans, this misuse of talent just gave them another reason to call for the firing of Eberflus. As a defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator, or head coach, your job is to put your players in a position to be at their best.
And for a rookie, it is even more important to put them in the best spot, as you could ruin their confidence, especially playing cornerback.
Coincidentally, this is not the first time we heard about Eberflus running zone schemes. Trevon Diggs brought it up earlier this season, telling reporters that he would like the team to play more man-to-man and said playing zone has been “getting comfortable being uncomfortable,” per Jon Machota of The Athletic.
Diggs spoke about this in October, and the fact that Eberflus still hasn’t made that change, as evidenced by Revel’s struggles, is mind-boggling. If you’re a Cowboys fan, you hope that the lightbulb will go off for Eberflus.
The last thing you want to see is a talented cornerback like Revel lose all confidence because his coach is not using him correctly.