3 Former Cowboys Still Unemployed Entering Training Camp

1. Stephon Gilmore, Cornerback

Much like this year, the Dallas Cowboys were inactive in free agency in 2023. They did make up for it with a couple of shrewd trades, however.

In exchange for Day 3 picks, they landed Brandin Cooks in a trade with the Houston Texans and Stephon Gilmore from the Indianapolis Colts. Cooks still had two years left on his deal, so he will be back in 2024. The same can't be said for Gilmore, even though he showed interest in a reunion.

Gilmore eventually said there would be no reunion and he was apparently frustrated with the front office for their decision. It's hard to blame him since he played so well in 2023 and was able to move into the CB1 role when Trevon Diggs suffered a torn ACL.

At 33 years of age, the Cowboys might believe Gilmore is declining. While it's true he's not the same player he was during his prime, he still held his own against some of the best in the league. In 17 games, he finished with 68 tackles, 13 pass defenses, and two picks.

The Cowboys believe their secondary is set and for the most part, they're right. Diggs is looking healthy as he returns from injury and DaRon Bland has 14 picks in his first two seasons in the league. They also re-signed Jourdan Lewis, who is an underrated slot corner.

However, the depth beyond that is concerning. The Cowboys have Nahshon Wright, Eric Scott, Jr., rookie Caelen Carson, and Gareon Conley who revived his career in the UFL. Perhaps they'll be fine but even one injury and there will be serious questions. Perhaps they can turn to Gilmore in such a scenario if he still hasn't found a home — that is, if they didn't burn bridges with their offseason approach.

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