The Dallas Cowboys secondary is the biggest question mark for the defense heading into the 2018 season. Just as they were in 2017, they are young, talented and inexperienced which is a recipe for giving up big plays. That is exactly what they did on many occasions last year. This year many of these players are entering their 2nd season and now have a year of experience under their belt. In addition, the Cowboys hired the man behind Seattle’s “legion of boom” in former Seahawks DB coach Kris Richard. The expectation is that the Dallas Cowboys secondary will improve upon last season.
At cornerback, there is cause to be optimistic. Former 1st round pick Byron Jones was moved from safety to cornerback where he played in college. The move is seemingly paying off as he has looked quite comfortable there during camp and the preseason as a starter. On the opposite side is 2nd year sensation Chidobe Awuzie who many Cowboy fans feel is a star in the making. The Cowboys were fortunate to find Awuzie in the 2nd round last year as many projected him to be a 1st round talent. Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis are battling it out to decide who will be the primary slot corner. Most Cowboy fans would prefer to see Lewis win that job. Brown was great as a rookie in 2016 but had regressed last season. Jourdan Lewis on the other hand is a small corner and that does not fit the Kris Richard mold of size and length. Despite his size, Lewis could arguably be the most talented corner on the roster. Regardless of which corner does win that #3 corner role, the other will still get plenty of opportunities to play. Hopefully at least one of them will regain some confidence as both have struggled during camp and the preseason. It is curious that the Cowboys only kept 4 corners on the 53 man roster after trading Charvarius Ward and cutting Duke Thomas and Marquez White. They will likely have to add another to the roster ahead of their week 1 matchup against Carolina.
The safety position remains the biggest concern for Cowboy fans heading into 2018. That says a lot with all of the turnover at WR and TE and the depth issues at OL. The Cowboys moved Byron Jones over to cornerback but did not replace him with an equally talented player. Jeff Heath is the most experienced guy the Cowboys have at safety. Heath has his fans and his critics but even the most optimistic Cowboy fan must admit that if Heath is your best option the team is in serious trouble. Heath excels as a rotational guy and I think he can be effective as a box safety but as the free safety I have my concerns. And yet, that is exactly where he will be playing until Xavier Woods returns to action. The Cowboys were counting on Woods to step into the starting free safety spot and become the playmaking centerfielder the Cowboys have lacked during the Jason Garrett era. Woods has potential but he must improve a great deal from his rookie year to earn my trust. Kavon Frazier is an underrated player and I am looking forward to seeing how well he can play now that he will earn more opportunities. Frazier projects best as a box safety and I believe he could be an effective starter there. Last year he played increasingly well and earned more playing time down the stretch and he was also stellar on special teams. Behind Heath, Frazier and Woods are Tyree Robinson and Ibraheim Campbell and neither one of those guys inspires much confidence.
The safety position is a clear weakness for the Cowboys this season. Despite this obvious truth the Cowboys have not made any significant moves to address that weakness. Why is that? It could just be the trend around the National football league where the safety position is being devalued. After all, a good pass rush can cancel out a poor secondary. Or maybe it is significant of something more. When you combine the Cowboys inactivity at safety with the recent roster decisions at other positions to clear up salary cap space (ie. Dez Bryant, Dan Bailey). Then add the presence of former Seahawks DB coach Kris Richard. All of these ingredients have added fuel the the fire of the Earl Thomas trade rumours. What started as a whisper after some post game comments back in December has grown to a deafening roar. With every passing day the All-Pro safety holds out and remains unsigned by Seattle, the hope of every Dallas Cowboys fan continues to inflate to monstrous proportions. Cowboy Nation would no doubt implode if that bubble is burst with an announcement that the Seahawks sign Thomas long-term or worse yet trade him to another team.
It is believed that the Seattle Seahawks are asking for a 2nd round pick or more in exchange for Thomas and the Cowboys will only offer a 3rd rounder. If this is true, I am proud of the front office for sticking to their guns and not overpaying for a soon to be free agent. In the end, I believe that this deal will get done and Earl Thomas will become a Dallas Cowboy in 2018. If I am wrong, so help us all because there is no other player that can salvage this safety group.
*Photo by Keith Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode