Getty Former Dallas Cowboys corner Stephon Gilmore
The Dallas Cowboys have already seen their former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn join the Washington Commanders, but he may not be the only one. As June approaches, corner Stephon Gilmore has yet to find a new team and the Commanders are an apparent fit.
At least, that’s how Commanders Wire writer Bryan Manning sees it. In a May 29 article, Manning makes the case for Washington signing the 33-year-old.
“There’s a perfect candidate available who has played for head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr,” Manning wrote. “Gilmore to Washington makes sense. The Commanders have signed numerous veterans to short-term deals who have connections to the new coaching staff.”
The logic is sound, as Gilmore and Quinn are familiar with each other. That being said, it’s not like they’ve spent several years together. In fact, the 2023 season was the first and only year Quinn and Gilmore have been on the same team.
Still, the prospect of Washington getting Gilmore isn’t ideal for Cowboys fans. Gilmore was a reliable, good addition for Dallas last fall and having to face him rather than support him is a challenge.
Gilmore Entering 13th NFL Season
Corners don’t often have a shelf-life of 10+ seasons, but Gilmore has been an exception. While he is past his prime at this point, the former South Carolina Gamecock is still a top-end corner in the league.
He is four years removed from his 2019 Defensive Player of the Year campaign with the New England Patriots, where he swatted 20 total passes and grabbed 6 interceptions. But as Pro Football Reference shows, he has pulled down 2+ interceptions in three of the four seasons since.
Statistically, last year’s run with Dallas was his best season since his peak with the Patriots. Gilmore grabbed two interceptions and registered 13 passes defended, while also adding a forced fumble.
Each passing year is a question with Gilmore, as it is for any mid-30s NFL player. But if the Cowboys or other teams are just going off the tape and numbers, getting his signature wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Could Cowboys Still Sign Gilmore?
At this point, just about anyone in the NFL is in the running for Gilmore. He’s a quality player that most teams would improve by adding, but it’s a waiting game for both the player and the suitors.
Gilmore can likely get paid more money by waiting until a team truly needs him as a starter. That is possibly why the Cowboys haven’t brought him back, as Trevon Diggs is returning from his ACL tear and DaRon Bland has emerged as an every-snap player.
And if Gilmore has it his way, a reunion with the Carolina Panthers could be in the cards. As Heavy covered previously, Panthers defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said Gilmore wants to be back in Carolina.
“Jadeveon Clowney on Stephon Gilmore: ‘I’m gonna try to get him to pull up, too.’ Says Gilmore told him he’s trying to get the Panthers to bring him back,” The Athletic reporter Joe Person wrote on X on March 29.