Dallas Cowboys insider reveals the most important thing CB Shavon Revel Jr. has to prove in training camp to win the starting job
Shavon Revel Jr. could raise the ceiling of the Dallas Cowboys defense if he delivers on the hype coming out of the 2025 NFL Draft. Here’s the biggest thing he must show in training camp.
Shavon Revel Jr. is far and away one of the most important Dallas Cowboys players to watch when training camp starts July 28 in Oxnard, California. The second-year defensive back is expected to compete for a starting job at outside cornerback with DaRon Bland and Cobie Durant.
I chatted with Cowboys insider Joseph Hoyt from Dallas Morning News in our A to Z Sports YouTube channel and he touched on exactly what Revel Jr. must do to win the position battle.
What Cowboys DC Christian Parker wants to see from Revel Jr.
Had it not been for a knee injury that kept him for playing in 2024, Revel Jr. would have likely been a first-round pick. The Cowboys decided to take a swing at him in the third round of last year’s draft, and they’re now in a position to cash in.
But what made Revel Jr. worthy of the “first-round talent” label? Mostly, his ability to play man coverage. However, he has a long way to go as a zone defender, which became evident in Revel Jr.’s first year in the NFL under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus. That’s a problem that must go away under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
“Their whole goal on defense under Christian Parker is to be mysterious, right?,” said Hoyt in our show. “They’re going to have a bunch of movement in terms of what they’re going to do and changing the coverage looks right at the line, or right at the time of the snap, because they want to make quarterbacks think.”
To do, you can’t be tipping your hand.
“I think the last thing they want to do is give a telltale sign about what they’re going to be doing because, ‘Oh hey, if Shavon Revel’s in there, they’re going to run man coverage,’ because that’s where he’s proficient,” Hoyt added. “In order for Revel to play a lot, he needs to be proficient in zone coverage too.”
Coaching should help Revel Jr.
In our pre-draft scouting report by our own Ryan Roberts, he described Revel Jr. the best man cover cornerback of the 2025 class but mentioned his “zone eyes are inconsistent” and that he can “lose track and spacing and get himself out of position at times.”
Luckily for Revel Jr., this is essentially his first NFL training camp. He spent last year’s focused on rehab. This time, he will get coaching from Parker, who has developed All-Pros in his two previous stops as DB coach. Patrick Surtain II, Cooper DeJean, and Quinyon Mitchell all received first-team All-Pro honors by their second season under Parker.
To me, it feels like Revel Jr. would raise the upside of the defense if he wins the job. Cowboys fans should be rooting for him to meet the expectations starting next week.