(Editor's Note: Over the next month, the staff of DallasCowboys.com is looking to answer the 20 biggest questions facing the team heading into the 2023 season. Today, the staff writers continue the series on the cornerback position, wondering if this is perhaps the NFL's best group.)
12) Do Cowboys Have Best CB Duo in NFL?
Patrik Walker: In considering this, my eyes went directly to the Dolphins first, where Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey now reside together. That is a formidable, as is Darius Slay and James Bradberry, as are some other duos (ex: Jets, Broncos, etc.), but I keep coming back to a couple things. First, the fact Ramsey is already entertaining talks of eventually going to safety makes me wonder. Hmm. Second, and finally, the Diggs/Gilmore combo unites a record-setting INT getter with a former NFL DPOTY who is still at a high level. It's a photo finish, but my answer is yes.
Kurt Daniels: Pro Football Focus ranks Stephon Gilmore sixth on their list of the best cornerbacks for 2023 while Trevon Diggs is rated eighth, the Cowboys being the only team with two players included in PFF's top 10. Of course, Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard might have something to say about it down in Miami and the rival Eagles boast a stout pair as well in Darius Slay and James Bradberry. But throw in the Cowboys' dangerous pass rush, which should make Diggs and Gilmore even that much better, and yes, the NFL's top duo could very well be here in Dallas.
Nick Harris: When it comes to ability, potential, experience and reliability, I would strongly consider the cornerback duo of Trevon Diggs and Stephon Gilmore being the strongest in the league. Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard have a strong case in their own right in Miami, but the Cowboys' duo has one thing that that duo does not: Trevon Diggs' length. When matched up against big body receivers (looking at that MNF matchup against the Chargers), Diggs will have a bigger advantage with his physical skill set to go along with his refined corner skills. In year one with this duo, it will be interesting to see which corner gets tested the most.
Kyle Youmans: It's exciting that this is even a legitimate question after some of the secondaries that Dallas has fielded in the past. However, I still don't think they're the best. Yet. Mostly because pinning the addition of Stephon Gilmore to the top of the NFL immediately sets unrealistic expectations. Trevon Diggs has certainly showed he's one of the top cornerbacks in the league and Gilmore already enters with a similar past pedigree. But let's wait a little before crowning the duo before they step foot on the field together. Could they become better than the Darius Slay and James Bradberry duo in Philadelphia? Or the Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed duo in New York? Better than another new pairing in Miami of Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard? Absolutely. I'm just not ready to hand out that title now.
