The football juices are flowing like crazy with training camp set to commence in about two weeks around the NFL. For the Dallas Cowboys, one of the most intriguing and potentially best battles will be in the secondary. 

Dallas secured one of the top starting duos at cornerback back in March when they traded for five-time Pro Bowler Stephon Gilmore to pair with All-Pro Trevon Diggs. However, that leaves one spot to be occupied and that's the nickel or slot cornerback position.

Now, let's dive into how this showdown shapes up and who will be going it at in Oxnard and Frisco for superiority inside. 

Starting Nickel Cornerback Candidates

DaRon Bland

As a fifth-round pick, Bland wasn’t expected to have the impact that he did in 2022. However, with Lewis and Anthony Brown suffering season-ending injuries, Bland was trusted into a larger role, and he flourished.

Bland would end up making eight starts and registered almost 600 snaps, and his five interceptions led the Cowboys' defense. It wasn't just his ability to take over for Lewis in the slot that was impressive but he still looked like a seasoned pro once he went to the outside while Israel Mukuamu played in the slot during last year's playoffs. 

Right now, Bland likely has the edge for who will start at nickel corner in Dallas due to the advancement of his skill set at such a fast pace.

Jourdan Lewis

Lewis doesn’t get the recognition of most cornerbacks, especially playing with a guy like Diggs. Despite this, the only thing that has held Lewis back from being productive is his recent injury and an old regime that used his 5’10 height against him.

During his career in Dallas, Lewis has been a constant ball hawk racking up eight interceptions and six fumble recoveries. Lewis can play well against smaller receivers with speed or bigger ones that have a larger catch radius which makes them more difficult to defend due to his technique being top-notch.

This job may be Bland's to lose, at the moment anyway, but Lewis will not make it easy and he can very well overtake him at some point. 

Kelvin Joseph

Joseph was taken in the second round in 2021, one pick after All-Pro Micah Parsons. The expectation was for Joseph to be the Cowboys’ CB2 opposite of Diggs. But a groin injury derailed his progress plus a lack of development and off-the-field issues didn’t help.

Joseph showed signs as a rookie with two starts in the final three games that he has tremendous potential as an NFL cornerback, he just needs to find some consistency. In an attempt to find him a role last season, the Cowboys made Joseph a special teams contributor, and although it started well, that spark eventually faded.

During OTAs and minicamp, Joseph got the opportunity to take more reps on inside, according to head coach Mike McCarthy, it's the best stretch he's had in Dallas which bodes well for his 2023 outlook. 

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Three guys going at it for one spot, that's what competition is all about. In the case of Lewis and Bland, they have already proven they can perform constantly in the pros. Joseph is still trying to join them in that regard, and another down year could have the Cowboys looking at him differently in 2024 so this is his most critical season yet.

No matter how this battle turns out, the Cowboys will have a quality starter with two other guys that can provide depth on the inside and the outside, so they win regardless of who comes reigns supreme in the end.

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Feature image via Bob Self/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK