4 Cowboys free agents who should return in 2023
By Randy Gurzi
2. Donovan Wilson, Safety
One player who continues to stand out on Sundays is safety Donovan Wilson. A fourth-year pro out of Texas A&M, Wilson is in the midst of his best season in the NFL. In 12 games, he has a career-high 80 tackles and four sacks. He’s also recorded an interception, the third of his career.
Wilson excels near the line of scrimmage and performs well as a hybrid linebacker/safety in the nickel set. Against Indianapolis, he had eight tackles and a sack. After the game, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn had some high praise for Wilson, saying he just keeps improving.
Dan Quinn on Donovan Wilson: "He plays much bigger than his size. He can play fast, just keeps getting better and better."
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) December 5, 2022
For years, Dallas had a tough time getting the safety position figured out. Suddenly, they have three capable players in Wilson, Jayron Kearse, and Malik Hooker. Of the three, only Wilson won’t be under contract for the 2023 campaign.
That’s something that needs to change in the offseason. As good as Hooker has been at free safety, Wilson has been even better in the strong safety role. And while it’s true Kearse can play at a high level, Wilson is younger and still developing.
As Quinn said, he’s only going to get better and better. You would rather see that happen with the Cowboys than another franchise, especially after spending the past four seasons developing his talent.