Grading the Cowboys’ Safeties in 2023: How Good Were They?

The Dallas Cowboys 2024 offseason is in full swing and with it comes the litany of offseason activities and responsibilities.

Those Cowboys who were elected to the Pro Bowl just enjoyed their second consecutive flag football victory over the AFC.

The Super Bowl festivities are well underway in Las Vegas and Cowboys fans can only hope next season will end with a different result.

A home Wildcard loss to the Green Bay Packers in a fashion nobody expected was a bitter pill to swallow for a team with such high expectations.

I’m here for you today to continue my series of grading the Cowboys players by position group.

We previously covered the interior defensive line, defensive ends, and linebackers.

Today, in true Dan Quinn fashion, we will transition from linebackers to safeties.

After fielding one of the highest-ranked safety groups in the NFL since Quinn’s arrival in 2021, I think you will all be disappointed with their performance in 2023.

All grades and stats are provided by Pro Football Focus Premium.

Players who did not participate in at least 10 games will be left off of the overall rankings.

Safeties

The Dallas Cowboys fielded four different safeties who were able to contribute at least 20% of the defensive snaps in 2023.

Jayron Kearse

PFF Overall (NFL Rank): 43.1 (107th)
PFF Rush Defense (NFL Rank): 55.0 (92nd)
PFF Pass Coverage (NFL Rank): 40.9 (107th)

Jayron Kearse has been the unofficial leader of the safety group, both vocally and physically on the football field.

He doesn’t have much of a foot to stand on in that regard after his poor performance this season.

Kearse graded out as one of the worst safeties in football, ranking essentially dead last in overall and pass coverage grades among qualified safeties.

He had his least effective stats (72 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 1 interception) since joining the Cowboys along with Quinn in 2021.

Grade: D

Exactly how much of the blame for the poor play that lands on Kearse’s shoulders is a question we may never find the answer to.

The safety group is notorious for being a unit that Quinn expects the world from, and Kearse was uncharacteristically out of position too often this season.

Kearse’s decline isn’t limited to one aspect of his game, equally as bad between run support and coverage.

He missed nearly 12% of his tackle attempts and allowed 83% of his passes to be completed while in coverage.

The veteran safety managed just two pass breakups all season, an indication that he was seldom in a position to make a play on the ball.

Donovan Wilson

PFF Overall (NFL Rank): 68.0 (48th)
PFF Rush Defense (NFL Rank): 62.6 (67th)
PFF Pass Coverage (NFL Rank): 69.8 (37th)

Although Donovan Wilson graded higher than Kearse, the decline in their play is equally disturbing.

Wilson was awarded a fat, new contract last offseason, but did not reward the Cowboys with a similar level of play.

Perhaps the calf injury suffered in training camp that forced him to miss two games lingered throughout the season.

There isn’t another logical explanation for the decline in his play unless we want to blame the coordinator.

Wilson recorded 88 tackles and two interceptions but managed just two tackles for loss and one QB hit.

Grade: D

Wilson did not play up to the new money he received and looked far from the heat-seeking missile we are used to seeing flying around the defense.

He uncharacteristically missed nearly 13% of his tackle attempts and allowed 73.1% percent of the pass attempts in his direction to be completed.

Wilson gave up two touchdowns in coverage and was only credited with two pass breakups for the entire season.

Malik Hooker

PFF Overall (NFL Rank): 77.3 (17th)
PFF Rush Defense (NFL Rank): 89.0 (5th)
PFF Pass Coverage (NFL Rank): 71.3 (33rd)

Malik Hooker is the only safety in this article who can be considered a true coverage safety.

Hooker was drafted 15th overall in the 1st round of the 2017 NFL Draft and is often tasked with covering the deep middle of the defense.

That’s the reason his 89.0 rush defense is so surprising.

He had the highest rush defense grade of any safety in the NFC East, completing 91% of his tackle attempts and making five stops at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Hooker slipped a bit in his coverage efficiency compared to last season, recording just one interception and allowing 80% completions and two touchdowns in his direction.

Grade: C+

This may seem a little harsh with Hooker being ranked as the 17th-best safety in the entire league, but he fell short of expectations.

Hooker, who also received new money last offseason, recorded only one interception and one pass breakup for the entire 2023 season.

Playing deep safety most of the time, PFF credits Hooker with only 10 passes while in coverage.

He allowed eight of them to be completed for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

Juanyeh Thomas

PFF Overall (NFL Rank): 81.1 (12th)
PFF Rush Defense (NFL Rank): 58.3 (82nd)
PFF Pass Coverage (NFL Rank): 85.9 (8th)

First-year player Juanyeh Thomas was not expected to make the team after being signed as an undrafted free agent from Georgia Tech University.

Thomas only played 20% of the Dallas defensive snaps on the season but made an impact in his limited opportunities outside of special teams snaps.

With that 20% of snaps, Thomas grades as the most efficient safety on the team.

He recorded 22 tackles, including seven stops at or behind the line of scrimmage.

Thomas excelled in his limited pass coverage snaps, allowing just 57% of passes in his direction to be completed, including three pass breakups.

Grade: B+

Juanyeh Thomas made the most of his unlikely opportunity to make the team as an undrafted rookie.

Thomas played with heart and performed at a level to match that heart and intensity on the field.

I hope he makes the final roster again this season, as his young talent will come in handy for the newest defensive coordinator.