The Cowboys three biggest needs heading into the 2021 draft
By Connor Green
2. Safety
The Dallas Cowboys have not drafted a safety in the first round since 2002 when the team selected Roy Williams with the eighth overall pick. Perhaps then it is not that surprising that this position appears on this list.
The team is currently giving up a league-high 32.8 points per game and has managed to only get five interceptions thus far in the season. To put that number in perspective the current league leader in that category, Miami Dolphin Xavien Howard, has eight which is three more than the entire Dallas defense.
Dallas’s inability to get takeaways did not just appear out of nowhere this year either. The organization finished last season tied for the fewest interceptions in the league with seven. Clearly, the team is in dire need of help on the defensive side of the ball.
Adding to these startling statistics is the fact that Dallas’s starting free safety Xavier Woods contract expires at the end of the year. The organization will be forced to decide whether it wants to bring back the young safety who arguably had one of his worst games so far this season during Tuesday’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.
Honestly, this years’ draft does not really have a safety worth taking in the first round (certainly not where Dallas will be picking). However, the Cowboys should look into players like TCU safety Trevon Moehrig or Syracuse safety Andre Cisco as possible second-round selections. Dallas would also be wise to keep this position in mind later in the draft as well.
The Dallas Cowboys have one of the worst secondaries in the NFL and even the promising development of second-year safety Donovan Wilson does not negate the need for a player at this very important position. Whether or not the team decides to bring back Woods this is a position that the organization has neglected for a long time, hopefully in 2021 that starts to change.