Do the Dallas Cowboys have a good enough secondary?

Last season, the Dallas Cowboys‘ secondary was arguably one of the worst in the league. They allowed many big plays through the air and got beat almost every time. This unit ranked 25th in opponent’s quarterback rating (100.4), 26th in yards allowed per completion (11.1), and gave up 11 40+ yard passing plays, which ranked tied for 29th in the league.

Simply put, this group wasn’t very solid in 2020. However, this season could be very different for America’s Team.

With how terrible this defense was a season ago, the Cowboys likely knew that changes needed to be made. As a result, that started with hiring a new defensive coordinator in Dan Quinn. Quinn is a former Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator who won with the Seattle Seahawks in 2013. With his time in Seattle, he led his defense to number one (in terms of points allowed per game) in back-to-back seasons.

However, the moves wouldn’t stop there for the Cowboys especially in the secondary. This offseason, Dallas signed not one, not two, not three, but FOUR safeties to compete in 2021. They added safety Keanu Neal, safety Damontae Kazee, safety Jayron Kearse and just recently safety Malik Hooker. 

Although the Cowboys have moved Neal to linebacker, it still probably leaves Dallas in a spot to improve in the secondary. Kazee, who once led the league in interceptions, likely brings a much-needed boost. Additionally, even though Kearse has always been more of a special teams player, he can be a pivotal backup. Last season, he filled in nicely for Detriot starting seven games and adding 59 tackles.

Now, the Dallas Cowboys just signed former first-round pick, Malik Hooker. Hooker, who has battled injuries the past four seasons, gives the Cowboys some more talent in the secondary. When healthy, the former Ohio State Buckeye possibly has the potential to be one of the most talented players on the roster.

Putting aside the Cowboys’ safety group, they also added many players at cornerback via the draft. In the second round, they selected cornerback Kelvin Joseph out of Kentucky. He has been vocal in the early days of camp saying this defense is “airplane mode“. You can’t throw. No-fly zone.”

Dallas also selected players like cornerback Nahshon Wright out of Oregon State in the fourth round and cornerback Israel Mukuamu out of South Carolina in the sixth round. Early reports are that Mukuamu might be moving to safety for the Cowboys.

Although the Dallas Cowboys lost two starters in the secondary from 2020, (cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and safety Xavier Woods) this shouldn’t hurt them a whole lot. With the addition of seven new players through free agency and the draft, the real question remains if this unit has what it takes to be better than it was a season ago.

Will the Dallas Cowboys be better in the secondary?

It’s probably hard to tell exactly if the Cowboys’ secondary will be better in 2021 than it was in 2020. However, the new arrivals, alone, could make this defense very exciting to watch this upcoming season. With a new defensive coach and many new players, all signs point to the Cowboys improving significantly.

Even though it is still early to speculate, plenty of positives are happening in camp so far. Yes, it’s too soon to be optimistic about this secondary, but there are encouraging signs that this defense is going in the right direction. If all these pieces can come together and the secondary holds up, pass rushers like DeMarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory will get their time to shine as well.

The new players that the Dallas Cowboys brought in will probably help this defense improve. If this unit can at least be middle of the pack, this team will likely have great success come playoff time.