Dallas Cowboys Top Breakout Candidate in 2026
Newsweek · C · trust 54/100
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. When the Dallas Cowboys took Shavon Revel Jr. in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft, they knew they were betting on upside. Revel was coming off a torn ACL suffered at East Carolina, an injury that likely cost him his spot in the first round. Before the injury, some evaluators even viewed him as a potential top-15 pick .
But his rookie year in Dallas didn't go according to plan. Revel suffered a setback in his rehab late last July as camp was heating up, and instead of making his NFL debut in Week 1 as hoped, he didn't take the field until November 17, months later than expected.
He didn't look great once he returned, either. Revel finished with a 35.2 overall grade from PFF , which ranked dead last among qualified cornerbacks in the league. He was part of a Cowboys secondary that allowed the most passing yards (251.6) and the most total points (30.1 per game) in the entire league.
But there are already several things working in his favor heading into the 2026 season, pointing to a real breakout for the former college star.
First off, Revel is finally getting an actual training camp. Reports out of Dallas this offseason describe him " moving extremely well ," with footage from minicamp showing clean footwork and the level of burst he had been missing during his rookie season.
This is effectively his first real camp as a pro, and it comes with a new, respected voice in his ear: defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who spent the last couple of years coaching up the Eagles' star defensive backs, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Reed Blankenship, in Philadelphia.
The opportunity is there, too. Da'Ron Bland likely has the starting outside corner spot locked down, but the other jobs in the secondary are up for grabs. Cobie Durant is currently viewed as the favorite across from Bland, but a lot can change between now and Week 1, and Revel still has all of training camp to climb the depth chart.
Revel has already said that one day he will be " the best cornerback in the league ," a bold statement for a player who graded out at the bottom of the league last year. But with his rehab finally behind him and a full season under his belt, he has the opportunity to flash the elite talent that made him one of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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