OXNARD, Calif. — Shavon Revel Jr. spent much of Cowboys training camp working against CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. When the Dallas Cowboys cornerback faced another accomplished receiving corps Tuesday, he noticed a difference.
Dallas traveled to Woodland Hills for a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams, putting Revel across from Davante Adams and Puka Nacua.
Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News reported that Revel’s daily work against Lamb and Pickens made the Rams’ receiving corps feel more manageable.
“That felt easy,” Revel said of facing the Rams receivers. “Because I’ve been doing it every day against — in my opinion, personally — the best receivers in the league and I felt that throughout this camp. When we played the Rams, I was like, ‘Damn, this is easy.’ It’s nothing because I’m guarding these guys every single day.”
Nacua led the NFL with 129 receptions and 1,715 receiving yards in 16 games last season. Adams enters his 13th NFL season with 1,017 career catches, 12,633 receiving yards and 117 touchdowns.
Shavon Revel Jr. Makes Plays Against Los Angeles Rams
Hoyt reported that Revel broke up passes intended for both Nacua and Adams during the Cowboys’ joint practice with Los Angeles.
One of Revel’s better reps came after Nacua created initial separation with a double move, according to Hoyt. Matthew Stafford put the ball downfield, but Revel recovered and reached in to break up the pass. Another breakup in the end zone nearly became an interception, Hoyt reported.
Hoyt also reported that Revel has leaned on his length and recovery speed in camp, while Pickens has praised the cornerback’s physicality at the line of scrimmage.
Dallas Cowboys See More Confidence
Revel’s progress follows a difficult first NFL season. Dallas selected him No. 76 overall in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft after a torn ACL ended his final season at East Carolina after three games.
He opened his rookie training camp on the non-football injury list and later had another knee setback. His NFL debut did not come until Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
In the same report, Revel said the extended absence made it harder to regain the technical consistency required at cornerback. He appeared in seven games as a rookie, finishing with 35 combined tackles and three passes defensed.
He has had a full offseason to prepare this time. Schottenheimer said Revel’s willingness to be coached and attention to detail have been central to his increased confidence.
“He wants to be coached,” Schottenheimer said of Revel. “He’s the first guy in the room and asking good questions and there’s no mistaking why he’s playing with more confidence now than he was last year.”
Dallas has also worked with Revel on off coverage and zone responsibilities, particularly the timing of playing off a receiver and transitioning into the run phase of coverage, Hoyt reported.
Revel is competing for a starting job opposite DaRon Bland. Dallas listed Revel and Cobie Durant with an “or” designation on its first unofficial depth chart.
Dallas opens the preseason Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.
