Dallas Cowboys: Don’t count out Kavon Frazier in the secondary

The Dallas Cowboys certainly have several question marks in the secondary. Could second-year safety Kavon Frazier ease some of those doubts?

It’s far from a secret the Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of a secondary rebuild, and with rookies like Jourdan Lewis and Chidobe Awuzie looking to take on big roles in the secondary, the future is looking bright.

However, there are a few players that could make an impact that don’t have as much acclaim going into 2017. One such player is Kavon Frazier, a sixth round pick from last year who could potentially make an impact this season.

While it looks like Jeff Heath is going to starting opposite of Byron Jones in the defensive backfield, don’t count out the resilient Frazier just yet. He’s also going to have to fight off this year’s six round pick Xavier Woods, and Awuzie also looks like he could see some time at safety.

But Frazier certainly has a winner’s mindset, and considers himself a candidate to surprise people, if given the opportunity.

Frazier is cut from a similar cloth as the Cowboys’ last starting strong safety, Barry Church, who left for the Jaguars in the offseason. He’s a strong, in-the box safety who’s not afraid to make plays in the run game. While Frazier told the Star-Telegram he’s going to miss playing with ex-Dallas safeties Church and J.J. Wilcox, he’s excited for the opportunity to usurp their jobs.

"“I hate to see those guys go, I’ve made a friendship with them and we still keep in touch, but at the same time, I’m excited for the opportunity,” Frazier told the Star-Telegram. “Right now, with it being OTAs (organized team activities), I’m just trying to do all I can. My foot is 100 percent, but I’m not working in the team drills yet, just a lot of individual stuff as a precaution.”"

Last year, Frazier played mainly on special teams, although his presence was felt in the secondary when given some opportunities later in the season. His health was also an issue early on, but the sophomore safety claims he’s now at 100%.

However, according to Frazier, the biggest hump was getting used to the speed of the NFL. He admitted nerves were also a factor.

"“Coming out of my rookie year, I can look back and see where I played a little tight at times, a little too nervous and passive,” Frazier continued. “When you come out of college, I think a lot of players don’t realize that adapting to the speed of the game, doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to get faster."

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Either way, Kavon Frazier looks like he could have a legitimate chance to prove to the Dallas coaching staff that he could be a viable option at strong safety. With a skill set that appears to be a good fit next to incumbent free safety Byron Jones, it might not be such a crazy notion to think he could play a crucial role this season for the ‘Boys secondary.