The Dallas Cowboys have had their OTA’s and minicamp, and the next stop is training camp. Before you know it the 2018 season will be kicking off. With that in mind, I will be breaking down the roster by position. Today we will wrap up the position preview by taking a look at the safeties.
When looking at the possibilities at safety for the Cowboys in 2018, there are currently three options for the two starting spots. Let’s start with Jeff Heath. Heath was very solid last season, recording 71 tackles and 3 interceptions. Heath is a guy that many Cowboys fans have been trying to replace for years. Fans have said he isn’t fast enough or he isn’t a playmaker. Jeff Heath may not be everything the fans want but he is solid and dependable in the secondary. He rarely makes the big mistake that allows the offense a big play. Because of that, he is a good bet to be one of the starting safeties when the season kicks off.
Next let’s take a look at second-year player, Xavier Woods. Woods was a sixth-round pick by Dallas in the 2017 NFL Draft and had a solid rookie campaign. Woods is a heavy hitter and in college had 14 interceptions. While he only had one interception for the Cowboys last season, that was in limited playing time. Woods will look to win a starting safety job in training camp. If Woods can earn more playing time in 2018 I believe it will be the dawn of a new day for the Cowboys secondary, a day that brings more big plays and more turnovers.
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The third option at safety is Kavon Frazier. Frazier was primarily a special teams player for the first year and a half of his career. Then in the middle of last season, Dallas allowed him to play in the secondary. Frazier responded by making some huge hits and big tackles. He had 33 tackles overall. Frazier’s biggest flaw is he struggles in coverage. He is best used near the line of scrimmage, stopping the run. I believe Frazier can help Dallas in 2018 but I’d be concerned if he was one of the starters.
While I’ve covered the three current options the Cowboys have, there is one potential option that continually comes up and just won’t go away. That option is Earl Thomas of the Seattle Seahawks. Earl has made it known he would love to be a Dallas Cowboy. He’s also made it known that he has no intention of playing for Seattle unless he gets a contract extension. Seattle doesn’t seem in any hurry to give Thomas an extension. It’s been reported a number of times that Dallas and Seattle have had trade conversations about Thomas. In my opinion, there is too much smoke for there not to eventually be a fire. I believe when the Dallas Cowboys take the field on September 9th their starting free safety will be Earl Thomas, and that will make Dallas’ defense more feared than it has been in years.