'Never Been Better At Safety': Can Cowboys Group Fuel Defensive Success?
There was a time when Dallas Cowboys fans were losing their minds wishing safety Earl Thomas would come to "Big D." There was also a time when the fan base yearned for Tyrann Mathieu. Neither move came to fruition, which caused Dallas fans to continue to complain about Dallas' paltry investment in the safety position.
However, those days may be over.
Perhaps nobody was more under-appreciated last season on the Cowboys than safety Jayron Kearse. He posted the lowest missed-tackle rate among all safeties last season, posted two interceptions and double-digit pass deflections.
His goal of making the Pro Bowl seems realistic ... and goes along with his stated goal to be the NFL's best safety.
Malik Hooker also had an impressive season for Dallas. In a career plagued by injuries, Hooker played a career-high 15 games and 446 snaps for Dallas last season. When he did play, he showed flashes of his ability. Hooker posted 44 tackles and an interception in his time with Dallas last season, and impressed head coach Mike McCarthy with his versatility.
"He definitely has the ball skills that you’re looking for, but the thing with Malik is the ability to play up and back. It’s something that I wasn’t 100-percent sure of, just because of the way he played in Indianapolis and he had all the injuries. But he’s become very diverse," McCarthy said.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is feeling really good about what the safety group has grown into.
"We've never had better players, all told, better players," Jones said, proudly. "Don't take anything away from Darren Woodson or Roy Williams, but in general, at the position, we've never been in better shape."
Jones also cited how Hooker has always been a player Dallas has had its eye on.
"[Malik] Hooker is supposed to have been good. We wanted to pick him," said Jones. "He got picked [by the Colts] as the sixth pick of the first round [of the 2017 NFL Draft]. We wanted him. So, these guys are playing to form in many cases out there - I like that."
The Dallas Cowboys also have Donovan Wilson in the rotation, have young Israel Mukuamo and Markquese Bell on the roster, and also like kids like Tyler Coyle and Juanyeh Thomas, who are on the practice squad.
Dallas will have to play much of this season without All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith. And without projected starting wide receiver James Washington, too. The injuries create a handful of issues for the Cowboys offense, with kids having to step up, not unlike at receiver ... thus putting the pressure on the defense to carry the load.
Micah Parsons has plans to be "the best player in the league.'' Perhaps, too, he has help from the safeties, who can fuel a year of defensive dominance ... if they're really among Dallas' "best ever.''
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