Dallas Cowboys extend HBCU legacy with latest free agency addition

The Dallas Cowboys already have an interesting HBCU legacy, but they’ve bolstered it with the latest addition to their free agency class. The Cowboys have signed former HBCU star Cobie Durant to their roster on a one-year, $5.5 million contract, per a report by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Durant, who played college football at South Carolina State, was a standout for the Los Angeles Rams and was part of a defensive unit that reached the NFC Championship before narrowly losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Cobie Durant just has a nose for the football in the playoffs.

The Rams CB reads this the whole way. Goes up and gets the ball from Burden. Had the big mistake, but Rams don't win yesterday without Durant. Was fantastic otherwise. pic.twitter.com/I83rqdQAMd

— Blaine Grisak (@bgrisakTST) January 20, 2026

Durant was selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft after a standout career at South Carolina State, culminating in a Cricket Celebration Bowl victory. In the 2021 season, he finished with 38 tackles, 12 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions in his 12 starts. Two of Durant’s interceptions during the 2021 season came in South Carolina State Bulldogs football’s early September game against the Clemson Tigers football. Durant finished that matchup with a pair of picks, a performance that drew national attention and significantly boosted his visibility as a prospect ahead of the NFL Draft.

Durant hasn’t shied away from his HBCU roots. As one of only four HBCU players to be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, Durant now joins former HBCU stars Isaiah Land and Markquese Bell on the Cowboys, who look to retool themselves after a rough 2025 season.

All three former HBCU stars play defense, and it will certainly be interesting to see how their unique talents can further aid the Cowboys’ secondary and defensive front. Durant finished the 2025 regular season with 40 tackles (30 of them solo), 3 interceptions with one pick-six, and 7 passes deflected. He also nabbed two interceptions in the Rams’ clutch NFC Divisional victory over the Chicago Bears.

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