The Dallas Cowboys added a proven playmaker to their secondary. The team agreed to a one-year deal with former HBCU star and Los Angeles Rams cornerback Cobie Durant.
According to ESPN insiders Jeremy Fowler and Adam Schefter, the deal is worth up to $5.5 million.
For Durant, the move continues one of the NFL’s most compelling underdog stories. He went from a zero-offer high school prospect to one of the most productive HBCU defensive backs in recent years.
Cowboys Add Playmaker to Secondary
Dallas entered the offseason looking to strengthen its cornerback room. DaRon Bland continues to recover from foot surgery, and Shavon Revel Jr. is returning from an ACL injury.
Durant gives the Dallas Cowboys a versatile defensive back who can play outside or in the slot.
The 28-year-old spent the past four seasons with the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of South Carolina State.
Durant appeared in all 17 games during the 2025 season and started 15. He finished with 40 tackles, three interceptions, and seven pass breakups.
His impact became even clearer in the postseason.
Cobie Durant recorded three interceptions and seven pass breakups during the Rams’ playoff run. He also grabbed two interceptions in the divisional round against the Chicago Bears.
Those three playoff interceptions led all players during the 2025 NFL postseason.
When postseason numbers are included, Durant finished the year with six total interceptions. That total matched the Cowboys’ entire interception output in 2025.
A Classic HBCU Underdog Story
Durant’s path to the NFL started with very little recruiting attention.
He received no scholarship offers out of high school. Instead, he spent a year at a prep academy while working a job at FedEx.
Durant eventually walked on at South Carolina State in 2018.
He earned a scholarship within a year. By the 2019 season, he had secured a starting role for the Bulldogs.
His final season in Orangeburg turned him into one of the most decorated defenders in HBCU football.
During the 2021 season, Durant earned MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team Associated Press FCS All-American honors.
He also helped lead South Carolina State to a historic 31–10 upset over Jackson State in the Celebration Bowl.
Durant earned Celebration Bowl Defensive MVP after helping hold the Tigers under 200 total yards.
He later boosted his NFL draft stock at the 2022 NFL Combine. Durant ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash, the fifth-fastest time among defensive backs that year.
Proven Production in the NFL
The Rams selected Durant in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
He quickly proved he belonged.
As a rookie, Durant intercepted three passes, including an 85-yard pick-six. His interception return yards also led the NFL that season.
Over four seasons with Los Angeles, Durant appeared in 61 games and started 39.
He recorded 141 tackles, 26 pass breakups, and seven interceptions. Two of those interceptions went for touchdowns.
His best season came in 2025.
Durant emerged as one of the league’s most opportunistic defensive backs. He finished the year with six total interceptions when playoff games were included.
That performance earned him Black College Football Pro Player of the Year honors.
What Durant Brings to Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys have already added safeties Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke during free agency.
Cobie Durant has now become the first cornerback Dallas signed on the open market.
The move also helps strengthen the secondary for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
Parker recently described the traits he values most in a cornerback.
“I think you have to be physically and mentally tough,” Parker said during the NFL Combine.
“We want guys willing to tackle and put their hands on receivers. They must also bounce back when things go wrong.”
Durant’s experience and ball-hawking instincts should help Dallas improve its coverage.
For HBCU football, the signing sends another strong message.
Elite NFL talent can come from anywhere — even from a walk-on cornerback who once had zero scholarship offers.