Gilmore didn’t just cover receivers; he erased them. Drafted 10th overall by the Buffalo Bills, he hit a terrifying peak with the New England Patriots. He snatched First-Team All-Pro honors twice and secured the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2019. By the time he hit his mercenary phase—bouncing through Carolina, Indianapolis, and Dallas—he was a seasoned veteran running coaching clinics on the grass. You could almost feel the tension in the air when quarterbacks dropped back against him, knowing he was baiting them into a mistake.
When the Cowboys flipped a compensatory fifth-round pick for Gilmore in 2023, the front office woke up. Dallas notoriously hated veteran free agency, paralyzed by the fear of guaranteed money and bloated escrow accounts. Gilmore changed the math. He logged over 1,000 defensive snaps that year, locking down the boundary with a 71.2 PFF grade after Trevon Diggs tore his ACL. He stepped in cold. The chilly wind during those late-season games didn’t deter him; he brought a quiet, lethal calm to a scrambling defensive room.
“Steph came in here and showed everyone what a true pro looks like. He didn’t say much, but when he strapped up, you knew it was a wrap for whoever lined up across from him. He changed the way we operate.”
— Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
Because the Gilmore and Brandin Cooks trades worked out so beautifully, Dallas stopped hoarding draft picks like lottery tickets. Look at the roster today in 2026: George Pickens stretching the field, Quinnen Williams gutting the interior, and Rashan Gary hunting quarterbacks. None of that happens without the Gilmore experiment. Heading into the upcoming NFL Draft, expect the Cowboys to execute even more veteran trades. They finally learned how to weaponize base salaries instead of burying cash in escrow. The blueprint is set, and the rest of the NFC East is officially on notice.
