Can Woodson Convince Cowboys' Jerry To Pick Safety In NFL Draft?

“If you want a safety and you need to fill the void of playmaker in that position, then you probably have to get one a little early,” said Cowboys icon Darren Woodson on the subject of an immediate NFL Draft fix

FRISCO - The safety position with the Dallas Cowboys has been a sore subject for what seems like forever, with COO Stephen Jones recently admitting to "our ongoing annual need for safety, which never seems to end, either in terms of draft-pick resource or dollar resource. It’s been at the low end of the totem pole,”

"You can't have All-Pros at every position'' is the mantra the Cowboys organization leans on in explaining why it hasn’t invested in the position fully.

Is that about to change?

“I think if you want a safety and you feel like you need to fill the void of playmaker in that position, then you probably have to get one a little early,” said Cowboys icon Darren Woodson on the subject of an immediate fix.

Woodson won three Super Bowls, was a four-time First-Team All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and is the Cowboys' all-time leader in tackles (1,350) while playing the safety, which makes him more than qualified to speak on the position. He recently joined the K&C Masterpiece on 105.3 The Fan, and when asked how he could convince team owner Jerry Jones and the organization to value his old position, he was very candid in his answer.

“If you’re looking for a playmaker, go get one early instead of thinking through the process of, ‘I can turn a special-teams player into safety,’ or ‘I can go in the fourth, fifth round and find a guy that’s serviceable to play that position,'' Woody said. "If you want a big-time playmaker, it’s just part of it. You roll the dice and go early and hopefully, you get a playmaker.”

The Cowboys did get lucky in 2019, though, when it comes to waiting until late in the draft to pick a safety. Donovan Wilson was a sixth-round selection out of Texas A&M, and after a promising start to his rookie campaign was derailed by an ankle injury, he bounced back in 2020 by registering 71 tackles, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 10 starts. 

However, that doesn’t mean the Cowboys should keep that mentality when it comes to the safety position.

A decade after the Cowboys drafted Woodson in the second round, they selected former safety Roy Williams with the eighth pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Woodson talked about how the Cowboys' investment in Williams early in the draft paid immediate dividends.

“When the Cowboys drafted Roy Williams, early in the top 10 picks, for five years, he gave you Pro Bowls,” Woodson said. “He gave you one of the hardest-hitting players ever to play the game. He was a turnover factory for the team. So, you want to get a playmaker? You got to go get them early. 

"It’s no different than any other position. If you want to fill the quarterback position, it would behoove you to go early in the draft and find that that spot. Exactly the same thing for any other position.”

Dallas has a chance to add a playmaker at safety within their first few picks. TCU’s Trevon Moehrig, UCF’s Richie Grant, Oregon’s Jevon Holland, and Indiana’s Jamar Johnson will be there for the taking, and even though the Cowboys will likely go cornerback with their first pick, one of these players will be there in the second round when they pick at 44. (We know Dallas liked Moehrig; we don't think the Cowboys love Grant that high.)

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The Cowboys have put some resources into the safety spot this offseason. They signed former Atlanta Falcons safeties Keanu Neal and Damontae Kazee. However, both are only on one-year deals, and the former will spent a lot of time at linebacker in Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme.

Woodson was asked how important having a playmaker at safety was. He went into detail, but also mentioned not ignoring the cornerback position as well.

“When you look at some of the guys over the years, specifically at the free safety position, the guy who can really turn the ball over, you’re looking for the Ed Reeds, phenomenal players that have ball-hawking skills and they don’t come a dime a dozen,” Woodson said. “I’m a big believer in, if there is a guy at the position, safety or cornerback, and you know you need help on a different side of the ball, there’s a difference-maker, you go get them.''

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