Seemingly, all Dallas Cowboys fans would agree that they need a lot more weapons on defense, but the loss of their longtime slot cornerback was more painful than anybody realized.

Jourdan Lewis spent eight seasons with the Cowboys before signing with the Jaguars. Lewis only played 12 games in 2025 before a foot injury shortened his season. And even in a shortened season, he compiled 39 tackles, two interceptions, and 10 passes defended.

In Lewis’s last season with the Cowboys, he ranked as the eighth-best cornerback in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, posting a 79.0 coverage grade. That gave Jerry Jones every reason to keep him, but he was no longer interested in settling for team-friendly deals, especially after playing the final year of his Cowboys tenure on a one-year contract worth just $2.8275 million guaranteed.

With Christian Parker now presiding over the defense, the Cowboys finally have the right coach in place to correct Jones’ egregious oversight by finding a capable nickel corner.

Cowboys’ DC Christian Parker needs to find an impact slot cornerback

On 105.3 The Fan, Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News said that replacing Lewis can’t be ignored this offseason. Parker quickly helped develop Cooper DeJean into one of the game’s premier slot CBs, and Parker would embrace building another nickel corner from the ground up.

“I think the loss of Jourdan Lewis was significant for them this season…I think replacing Jourdan Lewis and finding that Cooper DeJean-type guy is something that’s going to be an essential priority for the Cowboys this year.”

Hoyt added that one of the Cowboys’ first-round picks should be used on a cornerback. Even in a class that is light on elite talent at the position, Hoyt circled Clemson’s Avieon Terrell as someone who could fit the billing.

Terrell is a first-team All-ACC selection with the versatility to play both in the slot and on the outside. A high-end athlete, he has the traits to step in as a Day 1 starter if Jones uses one of those first-round picks on him, though he’d make a lot more sense at No. 20 overall.

Mansoor Delane is another name that has surfaced in Cowboys mock drafts and offers similar flexibility, with the ability to slide inside if needed.

Bottom line: losing Lewis was significant, and it underscored that he was finished accepting team-friendly deals from the Cowboys. After taking a steep discount in his final season in Dallas, he chased his value and secured a three-year, $30 million deal with Jacksonville.

Matt Eberflus could have used a corner like Lewis, but Christian Parker’s track record with Cooper DeJean gives Cowboys fans plenty of reason to be excited about what’s coming at the slot corner position. It won’t be as big a hole as it was in 2025.