The Dallas Cowboys shouldn’t play it safe at safety

It’s time the Dallas Cowboys invest dollars and picks back into the safety positions. Does the team lure Earl Thomas in, or should Big D head to the draft?

Let’s settle our wish list. The Dallas Cowboys need safety star power. That is all.

Eight points are what separated the Cowboys from the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. In the six losses over the 2018 regular season, Dallas lost by a combined sum of 62 points.

The biggest deficits came in against the Indianapolis Colts, where Dallas lost 23-0 and against Tennessee, where the Cowboys lost at home 28-14. If you take away those two games, what is left is a combined sum of 25 points in four losses.

Say what you want, but this team is competitive on the score sheet, despite an up and down offense. Now, with passing game coordinator and defense backs coach Kris Richard returning to the Cowboys in 2019, it’s time the focus shifts in grabbing an elite player at the safety spots.

Of course, things aren’t that easy. Players want their dollar. The list includes DeMarcus Lawrence, Amari Cooper, and eventually down the line, Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott. It’s easy to shuffle out the safety card in this scenario, but if the Dallas Cowboys want to complete the picture on defense, a new face in the backfield is needed.

Free safety Xavier Woods, a 2017 sixth-round pick, played in 14 games. He totaled 56 tackles, a forced fumble, and two interceptions. He turns 24 this July.

Safety Jeff Heath, who turns 28 in May, played in all 18 possible games for the Cowboys. He totaled 85 tackles, zero sacks, a forced fumble, and one interception. The six-foot-one pro is entering his seventh season.

You have to figure that the Dallas Cowboys know his baseline, his ceiling, so despite his cool field goal kicking, it’s time the team looks at an immediate upgrade.

The NFL is full of Jeff Heaths. Many safeties with Jeff Heath’s attributes can plug-in and play for this type of 4-3 base defense. The Cowboys need a brand in the backfield. A play-maker. A Darren Woodson hitter. Is Earl Thomas that guy? Maybe.

Thomas turns 30 when the calendar turns to May. He’s been dealing with major injuries. So, will the Cowboys overpay for a player who is closer to retirement? Regardless of the decision in Big D,  clearly an upgrade at strong safety necessary in order for the Dallas Cowboys to build on their 2018 climb.

The fun starts on March 13 at 4:00 Eastern Time, when the free agency and the 2019 league year is open for business.