Five Dallas Cowboys Free Agents: Keep or Let Walk?
J.J. Wilcox, Safety
Age: 27 – 2016 Cap Hit: $1,817,517
Drafted six picks after Williams in the 2013 draft, Wilcox has been underwhelming for most of his Cowboys career. Shifting from wide receiver to safety, everybody expected there to be some issues in his technique in the secondary.
Taking bad angles on tackles, blowing reads, and general bad play had him usurped by Byron Jones this season, however Wilcox showed improvement throughout the season.
Where Wilcox has shined in his career has been the role as enforcer. While today’s NFL makes it more difficult to lay hits, it seems like J.J. manages to utilize the hit stick at least once a game.
While they don’t show up on the stat sheet, it will make receivers remember him before they go across the middle of the field. On top of that, he really improved his coverage late in the season.
Looking at the market for his services, he is improving and has shown potential in 2016. While he doesn’t play a prime position, teams will shell out some money if they think they’re getting a player who can outplay his contract.
Whether or not Wilcox is a Cowboy next season may depend on how many teams believe he will keep improving, but as it stands right now, I see him back in Dallas in 2017.