FRISCO, Texas – Free agency officially starts on Wednesday. But the Cowboys added a big-name player to the defense on Tuesday, adding five-time Pro Bowl cornerback Stephon Gilmore in a trade with the Colts.
The Cowboys sent a fifth-round pick to Indy for Gilmore, who played all 16 games for the Colts this past season. Gilmore has made the Pro Bowl five times in the seven years, with two All-Pro selections. In 2019, Gilmore was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, starring for the Patriots.
The Cowboys will be Gilmore's fourth team in the last four seasons, as he finished up his eighth year in New England in 2020, then went to the Panthers and had a Pro Bowl season in 2021, before going to the Colts this past season.
The Cowboys certainly need some depth at cornerback after a 2022 season that saw both Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis go down with season-ending injuries. By the end of the year, the Cowboys still had Trevon Diggs manning one side, but using a healthy rotation on the opposite side that included rookie DaRon Bland, but also veterans off the street such as Xavier Rhodes.
With Gilmore, the Cowboys are acquiring yet another veteran, but one they obviously feel like can still play and contribute, despite being 32 years of age.
Gilmore started his career with the Bills as a first-round pick in 2012. He was the second cornerback taken that year, behind Morris Claiborne, whom the Cowboys traded up to take at No. 6. But Gilmore obviously had the better career and was one of the best players drafted overall that year. He spent five years with the Bills, earning his first Pro Bowl selection in 2016 before he hit free agency. Gilmore signed to play in New England, where his career blossomed. In four years with the Patriots, he was a two-time All-Pro and Pro Bowl player and was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, when he had an NFL-leading six interceptions.
Gilmore played in nine games for the Panthers in 2021 and all 16 with the Colts last season, which included a Dec. 4 game in Dallas.
Gilmore swapped jerseys with Micah Parsons after the game. Now, they'll be in the same huddle.
