4 biggest Cowboys needs after signing Keanu Neal

2. Safety

The Cowboys’ secondary was one of only seven that allowed opposing passers to throw for a passer rating above 100 last season. The unit has also struggled, like much of the Dallas defense, to get takeaways.

With the Dallas Cowboys’ recent acquisition of safety Keanu Neal, it can be easy for fans to forget that this position is still an important need for America’s Team. Even if Neal ends up actually playing safety for the team (he will probably play mostly WLB) the 25-year old has a concerningly long injury history and was only signed on a one-year deal.

The organization also has a lack of depth at the position even if Neal is slotted in at safety next season and with one of the teams’ starting safeties, Xavier Woods, still currently a free agent the Cowboys still find themselves in need of help at this position.

Obviously, if the organization makes another significant signing of a player like safety Malik Hooker then this need would decrease significantly (though he also has a troubling injury history and only played two games last year for the Indianapolis Colts). However, at the moment of this writing, the team still needs depth at the position and will also likely need someone to start if Neal plays elsewhere.

The Cowboys are obviously still interested in potentially addressing this need in free agency given their reported meeting next week with several players at the position. However, if Dallas fails to land another player here they could still use one of their picks in the draft to try and address this need.

With a relatively weak safety draft class this year the team is unlikely to use its top pick on a player at the position. However, the team could use its second-round pick, as well as later picks, to address this need by potentially targeting players like UCF safety Richie Grant or TCU safety Ar’Darius Washington.

The Dallas Cowboys need playmakers on the defensive side of the ball and one way they could address this need is to upgrade at the safety position. Whether the team decides to do this during the remainder of free agency or the draft remains to be seen, but even with the acquisition of Keanu Neal, the safety position continues to find itself among one of the teams’ biggest needs.