Cowboys 2023 offseason position breakdown series: Safeties

The Position Breakdown Series is taking every position group for the Dallas Cowboys and looking at the players, their rankings, contract numbers and predicting the upcoming season for each player.

This edition is looking at the safeties for Dallas, so let’s get straight to it.

S1
Malik Hooker #28
Age: 27
Experience: 7 years
College: Ohio State Buckeyes

2022 Stats:
Snaps: 1,008
Tackles: 62
Defensive Stops: 12
Tackles for Loss: 2
Pass Breakup: 3
Interceptions: 3
QB Rate Allowed: 82.4
Penalties: 4

2023 Contract:
Cap Cost- $4,320,592 (1.9% Total Cap)
Dead Cap- $850,000
Base Salary- 3,000,000
Signing Bonus- $850,000

2023 Projection:

Tom - Let me start this installment with a little discussion of the way the position is used in Dallas. Hooker is closer to the concept of free safety, the guy who is deepest in coverage and who reflects the name of the position, there to provide a last line of defense in the secondary. I love his stats, because they show he is not that involved in plays. I read that as the defense making stops well before they get to him. He was directly involved in less than four plays per game last year. To me, that says more about the rest of the defense than him. Hooker is not spectacular, but the team doesn’t need him to be. He is very solid.

Mike - I have a huge soft spot for Hooker and loved him even when he was at the Buckeyes. He’s maybe the most underrated player on the Cowboys roster, and what he does by being such a smart and athletic centerfielder is one reason why the pass rush up front can be so effective. Him roaming and keeping everything in front of him helps keep offenses searching for open receivers while the pressure swarms in. In Cover 1 or Cover 3 alignment there maybe no better and patient safety than Hooker and this helps generate the extra pressure from the defensive line to get in the quarterback’s face. The Cowboys took a chance on him when an injury-riddled start to his NFL career looked to make him unplayable, and that chance is now paying off big time for a team that used to devalue the position so much.

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

S2
Donovan Wilson #6
Age: 28
Experience: 5 years
College: Texas A&M Aggies

2022 Stats:
Snaps: 1,102
Tackles: 101
Defensive Stops: 40
Pass Breakup: 2
Interceptions: 1
Tackles for Loss: 7
Sacks: 5
QB Rate Allowed: 93.8
Penalties: 5

2023 Contract:
Cap Cost- $3,300,000 (1.4% Total Cap)
Dead Cap- $13,500,000
Base Salary- $1,400,000
Signing Bonus- $1,650,000

2023 Projection:

Tom - Wilson plays more of a strong safety role than Hooker, meaning he comes up in run support as well as being more involved in defending short and medium passes. He led the team in tackles. Normally you don’t want a member of the secondary to lead that category, but in Dan Quinn’s defense, this seems to be part of the plan.

Wilson has another role. He is the enforcer of the entire defense. Using the speed he builds up coming up to make a stop, his tackles are often more like TKOs. There are no footsteps that opposing players listen for more than him. And he comes for the passer a lot, getting five sacks and nine QB hits last year. He’s good and highly efficient.

To me, the new contract the Cowboys worked out with him was one of the most important moves of the offseason. It is rather overlooked because of the trades for Stephon Gilmore and Brandin Cooks, but it kept one of the real keys of the defense in the fold, and the price was very affordable.

Mike - If you’re not sure Hooker could be classed as undervalued then Wilson has to be the winner of that title. What he’s become and developed into over the years has been incredible. He’s solidified himself as one of the most important defensive playmakers on the team and some people barely noticed. Not only did he lead the team in tackles last season, he was third in defensive stops, fifth in sacks and fourth in pass breakups. This goes to show how versatile of a defender he is and how special of a player he is swarming around in the box as a hybrid safety. For people concerned about the linebacker position in Dallas, just watch Wilson because if needed he could be a hidden weapon to help bolster the position in a tight pinch. His sack and defensive stop totals were the most in the NFL at his position last year, and the way things are set up it wouldn’t be surprising if he comes out and repeats that level of production.

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

S3
Jayron Kearse #17
Age: 29
Experience: 8 years
College: Clemson Tigers

2022 Stats:
Snaps: 922
Tackles: 77
Defensive Stops: 31
Tackles for Loss: 7
Sacks: 2
Pass Breakup: 5
Interceptions: 1
QB Rate Allowed: 76.5
Penalties: 3

2023 Contract:
Cap Cost- $6,161,754 (2.7% Total Cap)
Dead Cap- $1,750,000
Base Salary- $4,000,000
Signing Bonus- $1,750,000

2023 Projection:

Tom - And then there is Kearse, who technically is also a strong safety, but plays a hybrid safety/linebacker role for Quinn. For years, Dallas (read: Stephen Jones) has sought to find bargains in free agency. That seldom works out, but this position group is an example of striking gold with not one but two players, as Hooker and Kearse came to the team at the same time. Kearse may be the most valuable player of all the safeties. Last season, when he missed games, it showed. He not only is very good at what he does, third in tackles with seven for a loss, he provides key leadership in the secondary.

Mike - If we were to do this article half a decade ago this would be a much shorter write up, but to be excited about two safeties and then write on a third and how good he is, this a great time to be alive. Kearse doesn’t just add depth to the position, he has the size and speed the other two don’t posses making his skill set unique for Dallas. He’s made a name as being a “tight end killer” and he really does do well defending against them. He’s fantastic in run support and finished third-most among safeties in pressures. What Dan Quinn has managed to unfurl in Kearse has been amazing to watch and thanks to his skills you could argue this makes the Cowboys safety group one of the best in the NFC.

Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Additional Mentions:
Sheldrick Redwine #45
Markquese Bell #41
Tyler Coyle #31
Juanyeh Thomas #40

Mike - Markquese Bell is the first guy that stands out with a chance to take a step forward this season for reps. If he can play a little looser and show he can handle zone coverage assignments better, then he has a chance. Redwine has been somewhat unlucky since coming into the NFL, but if he can make a push for a role on special teams then that’s a way for him to get in the door. The fact we are talking depth though this far down at the safety position for Dallas just highlights how talented the top of this position is.

Tom - This reminds me a bit of the wide receiver situation. The top three are easy to figure out, but who is going to be depth behind them? In some ways, Israel Mukuamu may be that next man up, despite having been discussed with the cornerbacks in the previous installment of this series. He is another player with that position flex the staff covets. If numbers dictate that another safety be carried on the roster, I suspect it will come down to a battle between Bell and Coyle.