Caelen Carson has looked really impressive so far.

— Jonah Tuls (@JonahTuls) November 18, 2025

There was a lot to be nervous and excited about for Dallas Cowboys fans entering Week 11. Standing at a then 3-5-1 record, it was a true now-or-never attitude in Dallas. The bye week had just provided a much-needed reset, where various reinforcements were set to make their season debuts.

The headlining story for the Cowboys was how much these reinforcements would help down the stretch. Major additions like Quinnen Williams, DeMarvion Overshown, Shevon Revel and Logan Wilson were all hoped to be building blocks for today and for tomorrow. But lost in the excitement of the new faces was the shadowy emergence of second-year cornerback Caelen Carson. And it was Carson who provided one of the biggest and most needed boosts to this Dallas defense.

From the moment the Cowboys drafted him, Revel’s name was penciled into future starting lineup. The only problem was this supremely talented prospect out of East Carolina entered the NFL raw and coming off a rather significant knee injury that’s taken 14 months to heel. Ideally, Revel would be eased into action, playing a complementary role early this year and only being thrown to the fire if and when he proved he was up to the task. Sadly, nothing about 2025 has been ideal.

The Cowboys CB situation this season has been nothing short of disastrous. From the fringe roster players to the former All-Pros, everyone has struggled at CB this season. Options have been drying up and therefore it seemed like a forgone conclusion Revel would be thrust into the lineup, ready or not.

I’ve been very impressed with Caelen Carson tonight. Good bounce back couple of weeks after missing a lot of his sophomore season.#DallasCowboys

— Brandon Loree (@Brandoniswrite) November 18, 2025

Carson had something to say about all of that. The second-year player technically made his 2025 defensive debut in Week 9 before the bye where he quietly had a solid game, playing 23 snaps as an outside corner. He built on that solid effort in Week 11 when he played all 60 defensive snaps which included 53 snaps outside and seven snaps inside. He matched Markquese Bell and DaRon Bland’s with a team-leading two pass deflections. He played with confidence, and he played without hesitation; two things missing from his game a season ago.

Pretty crazy stat: the #Cowboys used 22 players on defense last night.

Only one player played every snap: CB Caelen Carson.

— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) November 18, 2025

Just last spring, it was Carson who was seen as the steal of the Cowboys draft. But injuries and lackluster play soured fans quickly. In 2025 Carson is playing up to that draft profile everyone fell in love with last year and he’s carving out an immediate role on defense that allows Revel time to get his legs under him.

Longterm, one can reasonably assume Trevon Diggs is on his way out of Dallas as soon as the guaranteed portion of his $97 million deal runs out, and Bland is made the official CB1. Fitting the boundary CB profile to a tee, Revel fits perfectly opposite Bland. Rounding out the trio is Carson, who can play inside and outside and even special teams. Things are shaping up in Dallas and Carson deserves his flowers for what he offers in the short-term and long-term.

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