When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys in 2025, there’s no doubt it was a tale of two sides of the ball. Dak Prescott and the offense were outstanding, finishing 10th in the NFL in overall offense, per Pro Football Focus, despite consistently having some of the worst average field position in the league. The defense, though, was a misery from start to finish, landing 28th at PFF, bad enough that the Cowboys are changing coordinators for third straight year.
Of all the aspects of the Cowboys defense that struggled last season, pass coverage might have been the worst. Again, depending on how you rate the PFF rankings, the Cowboys were ranked dead last in covering receivers last year. Standard stats would agree: The Cowboys allowed 4,276 passing yards last year, which was the worst in the NFL.
The Cowboys let former All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs late last year. And that could be emblematic–this team needs an overhaul among its defensive backs. One guy who is almost certainly out the door, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic is veteran CB Corey Ballentine.
Corey Ballentine ‘Out’ for Cowboys
Machota, in sizing up the Cowboys’ defense, notes that Josh Butler and Reddy Steward could well be back because they would be inexpensive. But neither was very effective, so if the team opts for a rebuild of the cornerback room, they’d be the easy guys to dump.
Ballentine, who began the season with the Patriots but wound up with the Cowboys after he was released in September, is dubbed, “Out.” Ballentine had ample experience in the league before the 2025 season, playing with the Bills, Giants, Jets and Lions before landing with the Packers, where he spent three seasons, playing 37 games with seven starts.
Cowboys Must Invest in the Draft
Ballentine wound up sticking around after initially signing with the Cowboys because of injuries to Diggs and star corner DaRon Bland. He played only 23 snaps on defense this season, though.
As Machota wrote about the Cowboys secondary: “Butler and Steward are exclusive rights free agents. One or both could be back, but there is some uncertainty because of how much the position needs to be upgraded. At least one Day 1 starting cornerback has to be added in free agency, via trade or in the first round of the draft.
“And they probably need another corner who has the ability to start because of Bland’s recent foot surgery and the uncertainty at the rest of the position. Fixing this area of the team might be the biggest task the new defensive coordinator will face in Year 1.”
GettyDaRon Bland #26 of the Dallas Cowboys
Daron Bland’s Health a Key
Bland’s foot surgery this month will be another top issue for the Cowboys to monitor this winter and spring. Initially, Bland’s foot injury occurred last summer at the end of training camp, and he had surgery to repair the problem. But he was not the same player after surgery last season, and this year, it was obvious the foot still hurt him.
Bland allowed a quarterback rating of 67.2 during his first two seasons in the NFL, which established him as a star. But since the foot injury has come into play, Bland has allowed a passer rating of 104.3 since then.
The Cowboys need to rebuild the defensive backs. But it starts with a healthy Bland.
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