The Dallas Cowboys made a big splash this offseason when they acquired cornerback Stephon Gilmore to upgrade their secondary. They had a void in their lineup across from All-Pro Trevon Diggs that will now be filled by the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Throwing the ball against the Cowboys will be very difficult this season with the perimeter locked down by two excellent playmakers. Life for defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has gotten a lot easier knowing he can put Stephon Gilmore and Diggs on an island and bring extra pass rushers, should the need arise, on blitzes.
There has been only one player, Darius Slay of the Philadelphia Eagles, who has been left on an island more than Stephon Gilmore since 2016. He has 39 games of shadow coverage during that time, including five last season with the Indianapolis Colts.
Having two stars at cornerback is a luxury very few teams are afforded. Stephon Gilmore has been a standout coverage player for years, as teams don’t find much success when throwing at him. There are a few crazy stats that he has compiled in recent seasons, including a -102.3 EPA since 2018.
The next closest person to him in that stat is Los Angeles Chargers cornerback J.C. Jackson, who has a target EPA of -55.4. That means the Cowboys star is nearly double his closest competition in the advanced stat.
But, opposing teams are going to have to target someone in the Cowboys’ secondary during games. At times it will be Stephon Gilmore. That will present him with plenty of opportunities to make plays throughout the season.
In his career, the South Carolina Product has recorded 29 interceptions. If he is able to record at least four during the 2023 season, he will surpass Marcus Peters of the Las Vegas Raiders and Tashaun Gipson of the San Francisco 49ers for second-most among active players in the NFL.
That is a number which Stephon Gilmore has reached only twice in his 11-year career. The No. 1 spot in the active leader for interceptions is a tie between cornerback Patrick Peterson of the Pittsburgh Steelers and safety Harrison Smith of the Minnesota Vikings.
