Cowboys training camp battle at safety will be fierce

We are nearly two weeks into Dallas Cowboys training camp out in Oxnard, California and the players are in full swing.

The competition has been fierce. Especially after the pads came on. Contrary to popular opinion on social media, this Cowboys team is one of the deepest and most talented rosters in recent memory.

There will be tough decisions to make when it comes time to cut the roster down from 90 to 53. Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones, Will McClay, and the coaches will have to release talented players who can contribute heavily for other teams.

It’s a rough business, but it’s the way the game is played. Business always comes before feelings, and their job is to put together the best roster possible.

The talent level during training camp along with the fierce competitiveness of the players has already shown us that there will be players released that will ruffle some feathers.

It made me think about which positions on the team will have the toughest training camp battles, and the first one that came to mind is the safety position.

Former DC Dan Quinn revitalized the safety position for the Cowboys after several years of subpar play, but Quinn is gone now. Enter new DC Mike Zimmer. They don’t scheme safeties in the same way, so what will happen to the surplus talent?

They will be forced to battle against each other for those roster spots, and the competition will be ferocious.

Let’s analyze the competitors, and their likelihood of making the roster.

Donovan Wilson

Donovan Wilson was a 6th round pick of the Cowboys in the 2019 NFL Draft. His first season was nothing to write home about. He appeared in 11 games, recording just two tackles for the season.

However, he had a mini-breakout season during the 2020 COVID-19 season, playing 69% of the defensive snaps after just a 2% rate during his rookie year. Wilson started 10 games and the rest is history.

When Dan Quinn arrived for the 2021 season, Wilson instantly became a better player. Quinn’s defensive scheme featuring three safeties on the field played to all of Wilson’s strengths.

He is a player who likes to play near the line of scrimmage. He’s excellent at run support, and is adept at pass rushing, evidenced by his 8.5 career sacks.

Wilson is not so great in coverage, though. How his traits fit into Mike Zimmer’s scheme is yet to be seen. He should be a lock for this roster, but even if he isn’t, I wouldn’t expect him to be released.

The Cowboys will keep him on the roster or attempt to trade him, since releasing him would result in a dead cap hit over $10 million.

Malik Hooker

Malik Hooker might actually be the safest bet to make the roster because of his skills in coverage. Dallas doesn’t really have anyone else that has proven to be on his level as a single-high safety.

Hooker, a former 1st round pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2017, has something that none of the other safeties have: blue chip draft status. The rest of the safeties on the roster weren’t drafted in the top five rounds, and most were undrafted.

The Ohio State product has had a solid three years in Dallas after arriving with Quinn in 2021. Hooker hasn’t been spectacular, but he has been the best free safety to start for Dallas in several years.

In his three seasons, he has recorded 156 tackles, eight passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, and five interceptions. I fully expect him to make the roster and remain the starting free safety.

Markquese Bell

Yet another undrafted free agent to make the roster, Markquese Bell is switching back to his original position for 2024.

Bell was thrust into a linebacker unit that was starving for talent, and honestly, just starving for warm bodies. The Cowboys’ linebacker room was decimated by injuries to DeMarvion Overshown and Leighton Vander Esch.

You might question how just two injuries can decimate a room, but you have to take into consideration that the Cowboys were already thin at the position beforehand.

Bell finished the season with 94 tackles. He played well, grading as one of the top linebackers in coverage, but not so much in run support. Honestly, what did we expect from a 205 pound player expected to stuff run fits while taking on offensive linemen weighing over 300 pounds?

I, for one, am glad that Bell is moving back to his natural safety position. He is a mini-clone of Donovan Wilson but with a little more skill in coverage. It will be interesting to see what his role in Zimmer’s defense will be.

Juanyeh Thomas

Don’t look now, but here comes another undrafted free agent safety whom the Cowboys hold in high regard.

Juanyeh Thomas played only 19% of the defensive snaps for the Cowboys during his rookie season, recording 22 tackles four passes defensed. He also played well on special teams.

Thomas is a player that we definitely want to see more from, and he should make the roster based on potential alone. I can see him taking more snaps away from both Wilson and Hooker to get onto the field.

The thing about Juanyeh Thomas is that he has the ability to play both safety positions well. He can step up in run support as a strong safety, or he can drop back into coverage as the last obstacle between offenses and the endzone.

That makes him a threat to both Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker, and makes me think he might develop into Zimmer’s version of Harrison Smith.

Other Names to Watch

There are a few players at safety who are either rookies this season or just haven’t had the opportunity to show what they can do yet.

Here are the names who are a long shot to make the roster unless they perform so well at training camp, the coaches will have no choice but to give them a roster spot.

Israel Mukuamu

Sheldrick Redwine

Emany Johnson

Julius Wood