Peterson & NFL Draft: Time For Cowboys To Get Serious About Safety?

There have been serious flirtations with the likes of Earl Thomas and Jamal Adams, but routinely, the Cowboys choose to use resources elsewhere. It's time to get serious about safety

FRISCO - "You can't have 53 Pro Bowlers.''

Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones has made this point often as a way of explaining that in a salary-cap world, having "the highest-paid everything'' just won't work. Dallas has therefore chosen, over the years, to "give in'' and "get by'' a bit at certain positions, most notably safety.

There have been serious flirtations with the likes of Earl Thomas and Jamal Adams, but routinely, the Cowboys choose to use resources elsewhere.

Should that change in the 2021 NFL offseason?

It can, both in free agency and in the draft.

READ MORE: Cowboys NFL Free Agency: Richard Sherman Vs. Patrick Peterson

We think an examination of Patrick Peterson, the fading-star cornerback of the Arizona Cardinals - and the concept of moving him to safety - should be a serious one. And we think that after years of skipping over safeties in premium rounds, Dallas should address that issue in the NFL Draft in April as well.

Our colleagues John Owning (at the Dallas Morning News and on the CowboysSI.com podcasts) and Jeff Cavanaugh (of 105.3 The Fan) help us with names ...

Owning mentions a trio of prospects:

UCF’s Richie Grant, his "No. 1 safety in this draft,'' who "would fit the Cowboys’ defense like a glove''; TCU's Trevon Moehrig, who has a big frame (6-2, 202) and a cornerback background; and Florida State's Hamsah Nasirildeen, who at 6-3, 213 is a pure strong safety.

Cavanaugh, meanwhile, ranks his top three, saying "TCU's Ar'Darius) Washington and Grant are my top two safeties. I like Moehrig but not as much as everyone else does.''

Cavanaugh, by the way, acknowledges that because Washington is just 5-8, 175, the NFL will lean toward Grant and Moehrig as the top two guys.

The second round (where Dallas has pick No. 44) might be a sweet spot here for safeties ... though first, the Cowboys need to recognize the need for an upgrade. They've found a rotational guy in Donovan Wilson and maybe Reggie Robinson II, the little-used rookie from a year ago, can help. Keep relying on Xavier Woods? There is a mixed bag of opinions on Dallas' free-agent safety.

Peterson is coming off a contract that makes him a $14 million guy. That won't work, but a bid of some sort would be worth it. And a second-round safety on a rookie contract? Investment-wise, that would work. Maybe he could even become Pro Bowl-caliber ... without having to be among the group in the 53 who get paid that way.

CONTINUE READING: Dallas Cowboys Free Agency: Is Xavier Woods A $26 Million Player?