The Dallas Cowboys spiced up their backup quarterback competition. They stole Sam Howell from the Philadelphia Eagles to compete with Joe Milton III, and he may not be the only player they lure from the City of Brotherly Love.
The Cowboys missed on Nakobe Dean. On paper, he was a perfect fit with obvious ties to the team because of his relationship with new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. However, team owner and GM Jerry Jones can still get some help on that side of the ball, while also hurting one of their chief divisional rivals, by pursuing free agent CB Adoree' Jackson.
Adoree' Jackson Makes Perfect Sense for the Cowboys
Parker's first order of business in Dallas will be to fix the team's broken secondary. They gave up the most passing yards per game (251.1) and points per game (30.1), and the third-most total yards per game (391.4). That cost Matt Eberflus his job, and Jones won't hesitate to pull the plug on him as well unless there's a notorious turnaround.
That's why bringing in someone already familiar with Parker and his system would be a solid first step. Granted, Jackson wouldn't be a starter in Dallas, at least on paper, but he could bring some much-valuable veteran leadership and depth to an area of the roster that was an abject disaster in 2025.
In an ideal scenario, DaRon Bland will return to his All-Pro-caliber form, and Shavon Revel Jr. will take a huge leap after missing a big chunk of his rookie season due to an injury. That said, the Cowboys have to prepare for the worst-case scenario as well. They don't have much depth behind their two starters, and Jackson, while not a star, has been in this league for a long time.
The veteran failed to establish himself as the Eagles' CB2 opposite Cooper DeJean this past season. However, with a projected market value of just $1.8 million, Jackson can be a low-cost insurance policy for a team that should be absolutely desperate for help at the position.
Last season, Jackson allowed a 62.7 percent catch rate, slightly up from his career 59.1 percent average. Opposing quarterbacks had an 87.0 passer rating when targeting him, but Jackson gave up 166 yards after the catch, 529 total yards, and two touchdowns.
The defensive back is a high-volume hitter, as shown by his 51 solo tackles last season despite coming off the bench. Jackson may be coming off a down year, but his résumé suggests that he can be a seamless fit and above-average rotational piece in Arlington. If anything, he can't be much worse than what they had last season.