Dallas Cowboys Safety Xavier Woods' importance to the overall play of their secondary has reached new heights entering the 2020 season. Now in the Year 4, a contract year, Woods will have to shoulder more responsibility than he has at any point of his professional career. One such responsibility he may have to take on is that of a leader.
With Jeff Heath and Byron Jones moving on to new teams via free agency the Dallas Cowboys are not only having to replace two key members of their secondary, but important leaders as well. Make no mistake, losing these two leaves a pretty big void in the Cowboys secondary that won't easily be replaced.
In the offseason the Dallas Cowboys have tried to patch their secondary together as much as possible through both free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft. Still though, there are more questions than answers right now which is why the back end of their defense is considered the weakest link on roster.
The Cowboys need one of their defensive backs to step up in order to bring this unit together. It's difficult for an outsider to come in and take command, so we can probably rule out Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Not to say that he's not capable of becoming an immediate leader from Day 1, but it may be difficult to with more tenured players on the roster who are more familiar with one another.
This is where I believe Xavier Woods comes in. Believe it or not, but he's now one of the most established defensive backs for the Dallas Cowboys. Surprisingly enough, only Anthony Brown (56) has appeared in more games than Woods (45) since joining the Cowboys. I don't know about you, but I think it's a bit odd to think of No. 25 in such a way.
It didn't seem that long ago Xavier Woods was a measly sixth-round draft pick for the Dallas Cowboys. Now he's the veteran of the group and as such will likely be asked to shoulder more responsibility. This includes, but is not limited to, taking on more of a leadership role.
In all honesty, I think this is a role Xavier Woods will relish. Out of all of the Cowboys defensive backs currently under contract, Woods' personality and playing style is the best suited to lead his teammates in my opinion. I believe everyone naturally gravitates around him and feeds off his energy.
Xavier Woods has always played with a chip on the shoulder and I believe that will continue heading into 2020. I won't be surprised if he fully embraces a leadership role, which could quite possibly earn him the nomination of team captain as well. I don't know about you, but I think big things are in store for No. 25 this season.
