Cowboys 2021 free agency: Damontae Kazee or Malik Hooker, why not sign both?

The Dallas Cowboys look to be ready to sign one of either Damontae Kazee or Malik Hooker, based on how they look during their physicals with the team. That has many trying to decide which player is the better fit. Is it Kazee based on his familiarity with defensive coordinator Dan Quinn’s defense or Hooker who was the bigger name and seen by many as the more talented player?

Well, why can’t the Cowboys sign both players and use them to create more problems for quarterbacks trying to figure out what the Cowboys players are running. Signing both players over just the one would give the Cowboys something they haven’t had at the safety position in years, depth. We could be looking at having two competent free safeties as well as at strong safety with the signing of Keanu Neal paring with Donovan Wilson. Right now it looks like the Cowboys are going for players that can handle the position better than Xavier Woods has recently.

This isn’t about signing every player, it’s about signing players that can help this team immediately when they step on the field. Players that can make this defense better.

Damontae Kazee and Malik Hooker vs. Byron Jones and Xavier Woods

Stats over the course of their careers compared to the Cowboys two previous starting free safeties.

Kazee and Hooker Combined:

Games Played: 88

Tackles: 323

Interceptions: 17

Passes Defended: 24

Forced Fumbles: 5

Jones and Woods Combined:

Games Played: 108

Tackles: 483

Interceptions: 7

Passes Defended: 41

Forced Fumbles: 5

Now looking at how these four match up the biggest negative is that Kazee and Hooker have played far fewer games than Jones and Woods which shows up in the tackling and passes defended stat lines. But let’s focus on something the Cowboys have been unable to correct for years and that’s the turnover differential. Most years the Cowboys rank near the bottom of the league in turnovers, and it has really hurt this team when they’ve had strong offenses that are forced to keep up with teams instead of being able to create a comfortable lead in games. In less games, Kazee and Hooker have out performed Jones and Woods creating 10 more turnovers than the Cowboys pervious free safeties.

That alone would make you want to sign either player but bringing in both gives the Cowboys depth and a chance to find their starting safety of the future if one doesn’t work out or is once again injured. There’s no real downside except for some minimal cap space, especially when we know both have been prone to injury. The Cowboys need to make sure they have a backup plan at safety just as they have in signing all of these other free agents in an attempt to fill out their roster in case, for some reason, their board is wiped out during the draft.