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The Dallas Cowboys will face some difficult roster decisions when the training camp position battles begin heating up this summer. The Athletic’s Jon Machota believes that cornerback Nahshon Wright is now on the roster bubble following the team striking a trade for Stephon Gilmore.
Wright is a former highly touted prospect who Dallas selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft with the No. 99 overall pick. The Dallas defender is still looking to establish himself as a consistent NFL corner.
“Gilmore, Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis give the Cowboys a good combination of starting cornerbacks,” Machota wrote on March 20, 2023. “Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright could end up competing for one of the final roster spots.
“Nothing the Cowboys have done should prevent them from drafting another cornerback in the early rounds. Before the trade for Gilmore, it was one of the positions expected to be targeted at Pick 26. It still could be, but there’s not as much immediate need with Gilmore.”
Nashon Wright Started Just 3 Games During His First 2 NFL Seasons
Given the team’s newfound depth at corner, the Cowboys website suggested that Wright could see some playing time at safety. If Wright is able to show he has position flexibility in training camp, it could go a long way in helping the corner hold onto a roster spot. Wright played in seven games last season (including two starts) notching 23 tackles, four pass deflections and an interception.
Pro Football Focus gave Wright underwhelming 51.8 and 45.7 grades for his play during his first two NFL seasons. Wright still has two seasons remaining on a four-year, $4.7 million rookie contract and is slated to have a $1 million salary in 2023. One of the biggest areas of improvement for Wright heading into next season is preventing big plays from happening.
“Though it was a relatively small sample size (27% of defense snaps) for Wright at the cornerback spot, he did have the propensity to allow the big play by surrendering 14.2 yards per completion on 17 catches,” the Cowboys website detailed. “In fairness, Wright has just 20 career games under his belt and three starts in his first two years with Dallas, so there is more than enough room to grow with the tools he showed in a more expanded role in his season year.”
Stephon Gilmore Has Been a Lifelong Cowboys Fans
The Cowboys were able to land Gilmore for just a 2023 fifth-round compensatory pick. The veteran combined with Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland gives Dallas one of the top trios in the NFL heading into next season. Gilmore appears to be thrilled on the move to Big D as the corner admitted to being a Cowboys fan “all my life.”
“I was very excited [because] I’ve been a Cowboys fan all my life, growing up as a kid,” Gilmore told DallasCowboys.com’s Patrik Walker during a March 15 interview. “My dad, my cousins, I told my uncle I had a surprise for him. He was so excited. I’m just excited to be in town and see this amazing facility.
“I’m just looking forward to making plays in this Cowboys uniform.”
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