The Green Bay Packers made big news around the NFL on Monday morning, releasing two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander. The Packers were trying to trade him for the last several months, but no team wanted to take on his salary at this stage of the offseason.
Alexander is one of just several big-name cornerbacks on the open market, and given that he is only 28, he should have a fairly robust market.
But will the Dallas Cowboys be one of the teams interested in Alexander’s services this offseason?
Jaire Alexander makes sense for the Cowboys, but don't get your hopes up
The Cowboys do have a need at cornerback with Trevon Diggs, Shavon Revel, and Josh Butler, all rehabbing from major knee injuries. Even Caelen Carson, their fifth-round pick from the 2024 draft, is dealing with a shoulder injury that has kept him out of practices. The Cowboys are hopeful that Daron Bland and Kaiir Elam can hold down the fort until Diggs/Revel are healthy, but that might be wishful thinking
On the surface, signing Alexander would make sense for Dallas. Alexander is an outside cornerback with elite ball skills, and bringing him onto the defense would allow Bland to play in the slot. And when Alexander is on the field, he is still one of the best cornerbacks in the league.
In a recent article by John Kosko of Pro Football Focus, he ranked the top 32 cornerbacks in the NFL heading into the 2025 season. Alexander came in at No. 9, just ahead of Denzel Ward. Here is what he had to say about the former Packers star:
"When healthy, Alexander is capable of contending to be the best cornerback in the NFL, but he hasn't completed a full season since 2019. Still, his 89.5 PFF coverage grade across the past three seasons is tied for second with Pat Surtain II. Alexander's PFF advanced coverage grade is good, but his missed time and the metric's cumulative nature mean he ranks just 21st over the past three seasons. "
John Kosko, Pro Football Focus
There is no doubt that Alexander is still a quality cornerback, but the issue is that he just can’t stay on the field.
Alexander has played a total of 34 games over the last four seasons and has missed at least nine games in three of the previous four years. According to Pro Football Reference, Alexander has played just 1,927 snaps on defense over the last four seasons (481.7 per year since 2021).
The Cowboys could use Alexander’s services, but they already have a defensive backfield filled with cornerbacks coming off significant injuries. Dallas has the cap space to get it done, but expect them to pass on Alexander as he’s just not available enough to justify his next contract.
Instead, look for the front office to evaluate their young defensive backs on their roster during training camp before taking a look at the veteran cornerback market (Stephon Gilmore, Rasul Douglas, Mike Hilton, etc).