The Dallas Cowboys just capitalized on one of the few positives from the short-lived Matt Eberflus era
The Dallas Cowboys made a small but savvy move ahead of this year’s free agency frenzy.
Matt Eberflus catches a lot of flak for how things went for the Dallas Cowboys defense under his watch in 2025. For the most part, deservedly so. But believe it or not, there were some positives from his short-lived tenure in Dallas.
One of those was the arrival of cornerback Reddy Steward. And the Cowboys just capitalized on it.
Cowboys keep promising CB
The Cowboys tendered Steward to keep him from hitting free agency, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In this case, it’s not a costly move for the Cowboys. Since Steward was an exclusive rights free agent, Dallas just needed to offer him a one-year deal at the league minimum. Steward can’t negotiate with other times like restricted free agents can if tendered.
Steward was an exclusive rights free agents because he had fewer than three accrued seasons.
Steward was a late addition to the Cowboys last season, as he reunited with Matt Eberflus after the preseason was over. He went on to play a significant amount of snaps, and even started five games. He finished the year with a 47% snap count, second-most for any cornerback on the team.
The young cornerback was an “Eberflus guy” (in 2024, Eberflus’ Bears signed him as an undrafted free agent). Now, Steward gets a chance to prove he can be a Christian Parker guy.
Steward could be an option at nickel
Parker, the new Cowboys defensive coordinator, has insisted on the importance of the nickel position on defense. Though it’s fair to assume Dallas will seek for an upgrade in free agency and the draft, Steward filled that role for the Cowboys in 2025.
Specifically, Steward showed physicality as a tackler and some flashes in coverage.
For a minimum salary, the Cowboys get a quality backup who can develop into more. Or at the very least, he can be some sort of insurance policy if the front office fails to secure a quality nickel.
This isn’t a game-changing move for the Cowboys, but it’s a smart one.
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