While Shavon Revel commands the headlines, third-year corner Caelen Carson is poised to flourish under Christian Parker’s scheme now that injuries and coaching turnover are finally settled.
OXNARD, Calif. - Understandably ... there's a lot of hype surrounding Dallas Cowboys second-year cornerback Shavon Revel Jr.
Revel was a consensus first-round talent before tearing his ACL in his final season at East Carolina but fell to Dallas in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft following the devastating injury.
Now seemingly back to full health, Revel enters the 2026 season with high expectations under Christian Parker, who helped develop First-Team All-Pro defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in Philadelphia.
The logic is sound. Revel is a great talent who will have one of the best resources for his positional group in the league helping him every step of the way.
But no one would be "surprised" if Revel broke out.
The emergence of Donovan Ezeirauku, Ryan Flournoy or Jaydon Blue wouldn't be all that shocking, either. These are guys that have flashed and, as they grow, will be put in better positions to succeed.
They're also all being mentioned as ... "surprise" ... breakout candidates. If everyone is expecting a breakout, how is it surprising?
That's why the actual "surprise" riser might just be Caelen Carson. ... who is trying to keep pace in what we say is the No. 1 starting-position competition here at camp, all part of our Cowboys Training Camp Notebook ...
'THE SEATBELT': Carson, 24, is entering his third season as a Cowboy but hasn't had an abundance of opportunities to truly prove his worth. ... or to live up to that cool nickname.
His rookie season was cut short by a shoulder injury that landed him on injured reserve, and he spent his second year on a 2025 Dallas defense ... which wasn't exactly conducive to anyone's development.
Still ... you can pinpoint moments and plays in each of the Cowboys' last two seven-win campaigns where Carson displayed a sneak peek of his true potential.
There have just always been obstacles standing in Carson's way.
September will mark the beginning of Carson's first season in which, barring another unfortunate injury, he can simply go out and compete.
No secondary teammates creating off-field distractions. No confusing scheme. And ... hopefully ... no revolving door at cornerback in a negative way.
Parker's arrival at The Star should have a massive impact on Revel and Caleb Downs, but the Cowboys' hotshot coordinator won't influence only the two players with the consensus-highest ceilings.
DaRon Bland, *if healthy*, should be better than what we've seen since he led the league in interceptions while breaking the pick-six record in 2023.
Free agent addition Cobie Durant should become more disciplined, allowing him to erase some of his man-to-man inconsistency.
Jalen Thompson should emerge as one of the most versatile defensive playmakers in the NFL after being a fringe top-10 safety in Arizona.
Parker's vision will eventually reach every corner of the Cowboys' secondary. ... with Revel among those facing a learning curve.
"The next step for him is for him to be able to live on a single play,'' Parker said of Revel. "What I mean by that is, 'What's the split here? What's the situation? Who am I defending with a certain play call?' Because he has all of the physical attributes, so everything with him now is working on everything from the neck up and just make sure we're thinking the game properly.''
While Downs, Bland and Revel may very well become the stars of his defense - Revel is going to have to beat out Durant to do that - Carson could be a helper, too.
At some point, Dallas is going to need "extra'' cornerback help.
If Parker can turn a once-semi-forgotten fifth-round pick into a consistent, reliable contributor, Dallas' defensive turnaround will run much deeper than its biggest names.
DADDY DAK: For the first time, Dak Prescott addressed in depth his springtime breakup with fiancee Sarah Jane Ramos.
"There were a lot of false narratives out there on both of our sides,'' he said of the media treatment of the situation. "That was very unfortunate ... but it's kind of life we live in. ...
"More importantly,'' he said of his two young daughters, "(it's about) the kids. And so for me, it's just about making sure I'm there in every which way for them.”
UP OR DOWN?: Coach Brian Schottenheimer said that he and Christian Parker haven’t yet made a decision about if he the new defensive coordinator wants to call plays from the sideline or from the coach’s box.
But Schotty has a preference.
“In a perfect world, he’ll be down,” the boss said.
INJURY UPDATE: Notable news from here in Oxnard: Jalen Thompson, Jonathan Bullard and Devin Moore did not work ... DeMarvion Overshown (leg soreness, again? was limited ... and Tyler Guyton did work despite a recent sore elbow.
Oh, and about Jaishawn Barham ...
The rookie linebacker, who is off to a great start here, exited work on Thursday with what we're told is a groin injury.
The Cowboys do not believe that it's serious.
Barham, a third-round pick, may be pushing for a starting job, having taken some first-team reps at inside linebacker, with defensive coordinator Christian Parker saying he brings “a physicality and a demeanor to the inside of the defense.”
'BRED TO WIN': Coach Brian Schottenheimer continues to rave about All-Pro defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who has been a major force in this camp.
"Quinnen, he doesn't speak a lot, but boy, the way he works, the way he practices is impressive. He's a grown-(expletive) man, and there's some leadership things that we see where there's some things going on that need to get shut down, and he's the first one on the spot.''
And as a player? Quinnen's self-evaluation is clear.
"I was bred to win,'' he said.
TAP THE BRAKES: Not sure how we all got this twisted, but ...
Coach Brian Schottenheimer on Thursday issued a clarification: Tyler Guyton is still in a competition for the left tackle position. ... so the deal there isn't done.
That means Nate Thomas still has a crack at winning the job, but ... we'll stick with our original thoughts: They want Guyton to win the job. He's good enough to do so.
So ... he will.
FISHELLANEOUS: What does George Pickens think of the Ravens giving Zay Flowers $35 million APY? "That's nice,'' he said. Umm-hmm. ... Micah Parsons talks so much that I think sometimes he forgets what he's even saying. Latest example from Green Bay? Micah is pointing to "no camp" in 2025 as a contributing factor toward his Week 15 ACL tear. Sure. Maybe. But Micah - why was there "no camp'' for you? Remember? ... The Cowboys lost Princeton Fant for the season to a torn ACL and they replaced him on the roster with another tight end, as they have claimed Zack Kuntz off of waivers from the Raiders. ... Meanwhile, both top tight ends Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford had standout days on Thursday.
THE FINAL WORD: Klayton Adams is cool with his offense's GOTI nickname - and now he vows will hold them the promise of being the "Greatest Offense There Is.''
"They better freaking act like it,'' he said.
