Cowboys Juanyeh Thomas developing into a starting-caliber safety

Former UDFA Juanyeh Thomas has emerged as a potential starting safety for the Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys, Juanyeh Thomas / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

It's hard to find teams that have been as succesful at turning undrafted free agents into stars as the Dallas Cowboys have. Their top UDFAs include former Super Bowl-winning left tackle Mark Tuinei, Hall of Famers Drew Pearson and Cliff Harris, and franchise passing leader Tony Romo. That's just naming a few.

While Juanyeh Thomas is far from having his name mentioned among those star players, the former Georgia Tech safety is doing everything he can to develop into a starter. According to Patrik Walker of the team's official website, the "explosive" defensive back is headed in the right direction.

As his 2023 film readily confesses, Thomas is a starter in the making.

- Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

Walker praised Thomas for preparing himself to take advantage of any opportunity presented, which happened in 2023. Following a year on the practice squad, Thomas found himself playing a bigger role in year two. He's now expected to do more this season and was recently applauded by head coach Mike McCarthy during the team's minicamp.

"He's been dynamic on special teams and what you want, particularly this time of year, is to see young players in a different light. And Juanyeh just has so much personality. He's such a bright light. When he was given an opportunity at safety, he stepped up. Juanyeh is clearly a great example of a young player that's excelled with the opportunities he's been given. It'll be awesome to see him take another step." — Mike McCarthy on Juanyeh Thomas

Dallas is crowded at safety with Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, and Markquese Bell ahead of Thomas. But Thomas is arguably the best in coverage outside of Hooker, meaning he could find himself on the field often in passing situations.

If his past performance is any indication, he's going to take advantage of that and become a well-known commodity before long.