3 low-priced defensive free agents that make sense for the Cowboys

2. Jonathan Owens, S

If the Cowboys want to replace Donovan Wilson this offseason, they might as well go after another safety who plays just as hard as him.

Jonathan Owens is not going to be a big name that a lot teams will go after this offseason, but he has the speed that can excel in Quinn’s defense. Owens ran a 4.3 40-yard dash and posted a 43-inch vertical at the 2018 NFL Combine.

He played college football at Missouri Western State, a Division II school, and went undrafted in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals signed him soon after, but the Houston Texans eventually signed him to their practice squad before the 2019 season.

Owens didn’t get much playing in his first three years in the league, but in 2022, he became a vital point of the Texans’ defense. He started all 17 games for them and posted a career-high 125 tackles.

The Cowboys should remember him from their matchup in Week 13 at AT&T Stadium. With the game on the line in the final minutes, Owens laid a vicious hit on Michael Gallup in the endzone to force an incompletion. Dallas would go on to win the game, but there were several plays that the safety made in that game.

There’s still a lot that Owens needs to learn in the NFL and needs to improve on. But a player that runs a 4.3 with an insane vertical is worth a risk for the Cowboys, especially when Quinn has a history of developing several players.

Owens’ market value is just $1.4 million.