6 Dallas Cowboys free-agent defenders: Retain or liberate?

S – Xavier Woods

Dallas Cowboys starting safety Xavier Woods made some headlines when he admitted that players don’t always play 100%. Add in the fact that Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has on multiple occasions has addressed the team about their effort makes me feel like Woods is on his way out.

Even if his comments are 100% accurate, I 100% want the Cowboys to attempt to find an upgrade. Take a look at former Dallas Cowboys and current Las Vegas Raiders safety Jeff Heath. Woods is the superior athlete but Heath’s 100% style of play works in this league.

Heath also has 100% better stats than Woods even though Woods has played more snaps. Woods has zero interceptions, zero sacks, and one pass breakup while Heath has three interceptions on the year and three pass break-ups.

Effort costs nothing but yet it seems to still elude these Dallas Cowboys. Some coaches think that certain habits are contagious and if they are, not giving your all gives the message to younger players that it is the way the league operates. Let me be the first to tell this young safety that effort matters.

Woods changed agents this offseason and hired safety superstar agent David Mulugheta in hopes of signing a huge deal. I think the city of Dallas would riot if the Cowboys gave good money to safety who won’t hustle on every play. The best thing for Woods would be a change of scenery to re-establish himself.

There are certainly more decisions to be made but the 2017 draft class could end up being as terrible as the 2009 draft class.