Alontae Taylor #1 of the New Orleans Saints is a new Dallas Cowboys target.
Ultimately, Friday will be remembered for that which did not happen when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys, the team that probably flirted the hardest with trading for Maxx Crosby without actually getting a deal done–it was ultimately the Ravens who paid the price of two first-round pick, a level the Cowboys were not willing to reach.
But that might not be such a bad thing in the end, because had the Cowboys made the trade for Crosby, and absorbed his sizable salary along with it, the team pretty much would have been shut down on making further major free-agent moves. Adding Crosby as a pass-rusher would have been a massive star turn for the team, but they still need an additional linebacker, at least one cornerback (if not two) and a safety.
So the opportunity to land Crosby passes, but the opportunity to add at multiple positions is still intact. And one guy who has seen a lot of smoky rumors develop in connection with the Cowboys–Alontae Taylor of the Saints–helped fan some of those flames by penning a social-media ” thank you” note to New Orleans.
Alontae Taylor Wishes New Orleans Farewell
Taylor is very much the kind of player the Cowboys need, a versatile cornerback who is comfortable, at 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, playing in the slot but who has also shown the ability to kick out to wide corner when need be.
Taylor has said he was discussing contract possibilities with the Saints, but those talks have fallen apart and he is now hitting free agency, removing any doubt about his impending departure from the Saints with a social media message. He wrote on Twitter/X: “New Orleans – thank you for letting me shine in ‘The Big Easy’ – UNO.”
Cowboys Eyeing Alontae Taylor
That caught Cowboys observers’ attention, including Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who commented, “One of the best nickel free agents appears set to hit the open market next week.”
That’s important, because new defensive coordinator Christian Parker likes to use nickel corners to help organize the defense. The Cowboys don’t really have one.
The DLLS Cowboys site wondered, “Saints ‘STAR’ CB Alontae Taylor was one of 45 players with a play time rate of 95.0%-or-higher last season. Brandon Staley, a Vic Fangio confidant, used Taylor all over the field in 2025, including on slot blitzes. Do you want to see Taylor in a Dallas Cowboys uniform?”
And longtime Cowboys reporter Ed Werder commented on Taylor’s farewell: “In four seasons, Taylor has 4 INT, 40 PBU and 7 sacks. Cowboys could have interest as he played the Star position for Brandon Staley — like Christian Parker, a former Vic Fangio assistant.”
Ideal Slot Corner for Cowboys
If the Cowboys are able to land Taylor, it won’t come cheap. Spotrac puts his market value at $33.5 million over three years, but that might be undervaluing him. There are not many players experienced at slot corner on the market, and according to PFF, Taylor played 566 snaps as a slot, out of 1,056 last year.
He is not lacking in confidence. Taylor made that clear this week during an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio.
Taylor said: “I feel like I am one of the best free-agent players coming out. I definitely feel like I am the best free-agent corner coming out. Just that versatility, man, I can play inside, I can play outside and just be able to help any team whatever they need, feeling like I could be that CB1 guy for a team.
“If I ever have to guard your best receiver who moves into the slot, I have shown I can go in there and play comfortably. I feel like I bring a lot of attributes to the table. I feel like I am one of those best guys available and I feel like a lot of other teams feel the same way.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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