In an effort to build a solid defense, the Dallas Cowboys have invested just over $180 million in their secondary since 2023. They paid Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland north of $90 million each, but when it came to the slot corner, Jerry Jones went cheap.
Jones didn’t attempt to retain Jourdan Lewis, who was coming off the best season of his career. This led to his departure as the Jacksonville Jaguars paid Lewis $30 million over three seasons. As expected, he outperformed that contract while the Cowboys struggled to stop every opposing offense.
Lewis’ departure was felt so strongly that Jones admitted the defense was hurt more than they expected by his departure.
“We lost the nickel, and it hurt us more than we thought. The nickel was a serious loss for us. It made a big difference not having [Lewis] out there. And, so, we have got to get better there.”
“…The number one thing was we thought —when we lost our nickel last year — we could [move] Bland in and out, and get him going back and forth. He wasn’t quite as suited to getting inside and being a nickel as we thought he would be.”
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for the first time since losing him to 2025 free agency, Jerry Jones openly lamented the #Cowboys loss of Jourdan Lewis — saying it created shockwaves they didn’t expect:
“We lost the nickel, and it hurt us more than we thought. The nickel was a serious loss… pic.twitter.com/R6xjN7OJ0k
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) January 7, 2026
The move worked out well for Lewis, who is set to play in the Wild Card round against the Buffalo Bills while his former team is discussing ways to get back into the playoffs.
Jourdan Lewis responds to Jerry Jones
Shortly after Jones’ comments on Lewis made the rounds on social media, the former Cowboys’ defender responded. Lewis quote-tweeted Patrik Walker’s post, saying “You know it’s all love!”
A third-round pick out of Michigan in 2017, Lewis spent eight seasons in Dallas. He recorded 386 tackles, 9.5 sacks, broke up 44 passes, and had 10 interceptions. This year for the Jags, he had 39 tackles, 10 pass defenses, and two interceptions.
