Despite Secondary Struggles, Cowboys May Have Found Hidden Gem From UFL

One thing the Dallas Cowboys have done well is find talent from the spring leagues. They were able to land kicker Brandon Aubrey following his stint with the USFL, which is the same league where they discovered their kik returner, KaVontae Turpin.

This year, they have another spring league product making a name for himself, even though he's being somewhat overlooked. Cornerback Ameer Speed was originally a sixth-round pick for the New England Patriots in 2023. The former Michigan State Spartan bounced around the league, playing for the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Houston Texans.

In April, he signed with the Houston Gamblers of the UFL and caught the attention of the Dallas coaching staff. Speed made the initial 53-man roster and has appeared in all five games. His numbers are modest, just seven tackles on the year, but he's been getting more snaps over the past two weeks.

Speed had 23 snaps in the win over the Texans and 45 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to PFF, he was in coverage 31 times over those two games and was targeted just twice. He surrendered only one reception for eight yards. Against Tampa Bay, he was able to play blanket coverage, allowing no receptions, which is something the rest of the secondary can't claim.

Ameer Speed has been one of the few pleasant surprises on Dallas defense

New England Patriots cornerback Ameer Speed makes his way to the practice fields for training camp at Gillette Stadium. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

When looking at Speed, the first thing that stands out is his size. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Speed is built like a wide receiver and has no issues going toe-to-toe with the biggest players on the opposing team.

He also uses that size in run defense, earning a 74.8 in run defense through the first five games of the year.

The Cowboys have made comments about changes coming following their latest defeat. They already made a trade for Joey Porter Jr., which gives them a legitimate CB1. He missed the game against Tampa Bay due to an illness, but hopefully will be back in Week 6 against the Green Bay Packers.

Given the struggles of players such as DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel Jr, who were both graded in the bottom five by PFF against the Bucs, Speed should see the field more. Unfortunately, Jerry Jones refuses to admit that they made an error in signing Bland to an extension, so Speed will likely remain on the bench, despite outperforming others ahead of him on the depth chart.

— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —

Add us as a preferred source on Google