The Los Angeles Chargers and quarterback Justin Herbert had a pretty clear plan of attack against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16, and it included going directly at rookie cornerback Shavon Revel from start to finish.
It worked, because the Chargers walked away with a 34-17 win and Revel walked away with Bleacher Report labeling him one of the NFL’s “Biggest Losers” as his team dropped to 6-8-1 and was officially eliminated from the playoffs for the second consecutive year.
“Opponents have continually targeted the Cowboys’ rookie cornerback in recent weeks,” Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski wrote on Sunday, December 21. “It’s never a good sign when a cornerback leads his squad in tackles, as Revel did Sunday. Ironically, the first-year defensive back isn’t a strong tackler, which shows up during his weekly performance. The Chargers went after Revel and generally found success.”
Revel missed the first 9 games of the regular season as he recovered from an ACL injury suffered in in 2024 and, since his return in Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders, he has 4 starts in 6 games with 29 tackles and 2 pass deflections.
“Justin Herbert targeted Trevon Diggs and Shavon Revel 12 times today,” Cowboys reporter Bobby Belt wrote on X. “(Herbert went) 11-12 for 152 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT, 158.3 passer rating (perfect).”
Hard to Judge Revel With Lame Duck DC
Pro Football Focus has Revel with a 35.4 overall grade through 6 games — putting him among the NFL’s very worst cornerbacks.
While Revel might already seem like a bust, it would be foolish to judge him on the 2025 season alone as he’s playing for lame duck defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who doesn’t seem to want to put Revel in situations where he could succeed.
“Following the Cowboys’ Week 14 loss to the Lions, many Dallas fans highlighted that Eberflus is playing Revel in zone coverage and not in man-to-man, which is what he excels at,” Sports DFW’s Jovan Alford wrote. “In that game vs. Detroit, the rookie cornerback allowed four completions (six targets) for 39 yards and a TD. For most Cowboys fans, this misuse of talent just gave them another reason to call for the firing of Eberflus. As a defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator, or head coach, your job is to put your players in a position to be at their best. And for a rookie, it is even more important to put them in the best spot, as you could ruin their confidence, especially playing cornerback.”
Revel, 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, was projected as a first round pick headed into last season at East Carolina University but tore his ACL in Week 6 and dropped to the Cowboys in the third round (No. 76 overall) of the 2025 NFL draft.
Fans Roast Revel’s Performance Online
There is some thought with Revel, what we see is what we get. Meaning he won’t ever be better than he has been as a rookie and the Cowboys should move on.
“The Chargers have ZERO fear of Shavon Revel,” Locked on Cowboys podcast host Marcus Mosher wrote on X. “And they don’t respect his tackling ability at all.”
“I was hyped about Shavon Revel but he is dog (expletive) my goodness,” Cowboys fan James Weber wrote on X.
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