{
  "id": 20055243,
  "title": "Bland, Downs, Revel and the Cowboys' musical chairs in the secondary",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/bland-downs-revel-and-the-cowboys-musical-chairs-in-the-secondary",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-14T21:37:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/bland-downs-revel-cowboys-musical-213703392.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Dallas Cowboys are facing a secondary struggle as they navigate mid-season musical chairs within their defensive ranks. Rookie Caleb Downs has had a strong pro debut, excelling in multiple defensive roles, but may be forced into a traditional safety position due to injuries to Jalen Thompson and PJ Locke. This could come at the expense of Downs' preferred roles near the line of scrimmage. Meanwhile, the Cowboys' veteran cornerback DaRon Bland has struggled recently, and the team is considering utilizing him in select safety roles to mask some of his speed limitations. However, this would require the Cowboys to be creative in the drafting of a cornerback to fill the vacated outside position. Second-year cornerback Shavon Revel, who has been relatively quiet this season, could potentially step up in a limited safety role, allowing Downs to maintain his ideal position. The Cowboys seem committed to maintaining Downs' impact on the defense, but Revel's recent absence from the lineup leaves room for speculation on his future involvement.",
  "summary": "DaRon Bland clearly isn't working so in an effort to keep Caleb Downs at his best spot can't the Cowboys consider trying Bland at safety?",
  "key_points": [
    "Dallas Cowboys face secondary struggles due to injuries.",
    "Caleb Downs excels but may move to traditional safety.",
    "DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel could fill safety roles."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}