The Dallas Cowboys are trying to reboot their entire defense in 2026 — nowhere will that be more important than at outside cornerback, where they jettisoned $97 million All-Pro Trevon Diggs in 2025 and brought back $90 million All-Pro Daron Bland.
Bland has seemed like a shell of the player who was an All-Pro just a few years ago. After him, it’s kind of a wasteland that includes 1 disappointing 2025 draft pick in Shavon Revel and an iffy free agent signing in Cobie Durant.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks the Cowboys could still make a move to improve at cornerback before the regular season starts, calling them the “logical landing spot” for former Indianapolis Colts Pro Bowler Kenny Moore, who has remained the top free agent available at the position for the last few months.
“The Indianapolis Colts and Kenny Moore II agreed to mutually work on a trade early in the offseason,” Knox wrote on August 21. “After weeks of failing to find a trade partner, the Colts opted to release the cornerback instead. Given the lack of trade interest, Moore can only expect modest offers at this point. A team that signs him to a team-friendly contract, however, could get a big bargain. Moore will turn 31 later this month and made just seven starts last season, but he also allowed an opposing passer rating of just 87.8 in coverage in 2025 … he’d be a good fit as a depth piece with the San Francisco 49ers. New 49ers defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus previously coached Moore as the Colts’ defensive coordinator.”
The Colts released Moore on May 7 to clear $7 million in salary cap space.
Moore, 30, has spent his entire career to this point with the Colts, including a Pro Bowl selection in 2021.
Kenny Moore True Underdog NFL Success Story
Moore, 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds, was a 2-time NCAA Division II All-American at Valdosta State before making the Colts roster as an undrafted free agent in 2017.
He became the full-time starter in his 2nd season and didn’t give up the job until 2025, when he gave way to Justin Walley, and both Moore and the Colts agreed to seek a trade, which never materialized.
In 9 seasons with the Colts, Moore has 649 tackles, 21 interceptions, and 68 pass deflections in 132 games with 111 starts, and 5 defensive touchdowns. He also has approximately $57.7 million in career earnings through the end of the 2025 season.
Cowboys Might Have Ace in the Hole in Secondary
While we wring our hands over the Cowboys’ problems in the secondary, there’s a chance they may have an Ace in the Hole on their roster with 2026 1st-round pick (No. 11 overall) Caleb Downs, an All-American safety at Ohio State who will start his career at slot cornerback for Dallas.
Downs might be the best pound-for-pound player in the rookie class, regardless of position.
“Productive, high-effort safety with three years of starting experience in big games at Alabama and Ohio State,” NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote in his pre-draft evaluation. “Downs is an alpha who brings immense juice on each snap. He’s at his best when deployed near the line as a box safety or big nickel back. He’ll gamble a little bit as a run defender, but he makes more than enough disruptive plays near the line of scrimmage to make up for it. He’s fluent in man or zone over the first two levels and is rarely fooled by play-action or misdirection. While he’s quick to close and strike underneath, there are hints of caution that prevent him from making more plays on the football. Downs isn’t the biggest, fastest or most versatile player, but he consistently puts his stamp on games.”
Cowboys Called ‘Logical Landing Spot’ for Pro Bowl CB