The Cowboys are banking on a rookie’s highly anticipated debut to flip their defense from weak to unstoppable overnight.QQ

The Dallas Cowboys are getting Shavon Revel Jr. back.

A lot has been made about the Dallas Cowboys’ recent trades and about the return of linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. But another expected addition could make an equally impactful difference: Third-round rookie Shavon Revel Jr. is nearing a return and could make his debut when the team returns to action in Week 11 to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football.

Contrary to Overshown, DT Quinnen Williams, and LB Logan Wilson, we just don’t know who Revel Jr. is at the NFL level yet. What we do know, however, is that he was widely perceived as a first-round talent that slid in the Draft due to the knee injury that kept him out for the first nine games of the season.

Now that his debut is near, though, what can we expect from Revel Jr.? That’s the question I aimed to answer when I reached out to A to Z Sports’ NFL Draft experts Destin Adams and Tyler Forness. Here’s what they had to say, starting with why Adams expects him to make a “quicker impact” on the Cowboys defense.

What would you expect from Revel Jr. if he’s asked to start right away, assuming he is healthy?

Adams: The most important thing to highlight is how smart of a football player Revel showed himself to be in college. His IQ pops when watching him drop back in coverage. That fact should help him make a quicker impact than your typical player returning from injury. He has excellent size and athleticism, but his overall coverage ability is his biggest strength. I think he’s a better man CB than zone, so the fit in Eberflus’ defense overall isn’t ideal, but knowing his journey up to this point, I doubt he lets that be something that stops him from being great.

Forness: Going into the NFL Draft, I was the highest in the NFL Draft industry on Revel per Arif Hasan’s consensus board, ranking him sixth overall in the class. What you have is a tall, long, and hyper-athletic cornerback that can play in any scheme. With how much zone Matt Eberflus plays, you can do a lot of things with Revel, especially when it comes to maximizing his length. Playing coverages like Tampa-2 and Palms will maximize what he brings to the table. There will be issues with him adapting to the NFL game, especially the speed, but he can for sure play.

The Cowboys play a lot of zone but that’s beginning to change little by little. How do you think Revel Jr. fares in each, and where do you see him playing the best?

Forness: Revel has great size and length in a similar vein to what Richard Sherman brought to the table. Finding a way to maximize him in that way should be the priority for the Cowboys. Get him in coverages that will allow him to maximize his length. I would either run a lot of Cover-3 or playing the midpoint in Cover-2 or Palms would be the ideal usage of him early on. Now, he can play man-to-man, but coming off of a torn ACL, it would be wise to not put him into a lot of man coverage situations until it’s absolutely necessary.

Adams: Revel can struggle at times in zone coverage. He can get caught ball watching when having to cover space, as opposed to being locked in on a man-to-man assignment. This can lead to him generating turnovers at a high rate, but it could also lead to him giving up some big plays if he fails to make that play.

Any weaknesses from Revel Jr.’s film that stand out to you?

Adams: I think Revel gets into a zone where he’s dead set on making the big play, which clouds his process. It reminds me of a QB who is dead set on going for the home run deep ball and doesn’t take the checkdown when the defense allows it. Part of his struggles in zone come from him offering a QB a bit too much space to try and bait them into throwing his way, and he gets himself into trouble at times as a result. I think he has a good foundation and understanding of playing zone, so with the right coaching, I think he could make drastic improvements there at the NFL level.

Forness: One of the biggest weaknesses right away is going to be the big jump up in competition. He only played a couple of games against Power Four competitoin, and that could be a big deal when it comes to how he plays early on. He also will also have some adjustments to the match concepts at the NFL level. There will be some serious growing pains, but it will be worth it in the end.