FRISCO, Texas — When it comes to the safety position in Dallas, the Cowboys got no food, no jobs and their pets' heads are falling off. Let that classic line from Lloyd of Dumb and Dumber sink in for a moment, because it's terrifyingly accurate in its description of the back end of the Cowboys' defense heading into Week 9 of the 2025 season.
The unit started the season as one of the deepest on the roster but, eight games into the season, it's not only the thinnest, it's damn one injury away from being almost literally nonexistent — following news of Alijah Clark, the rookie safety suffering an injury to his ribs in the loss to the Denver Broncos that will sideline him "a couple of weeks".
If you're reading this, and you're able-bodied, the Cowboys are hiring safeties.
As it stands, Markquese Bell is literally the only safety on the active 53-man roster, and they have only one on the practice squad, and that's Julius Wood, a former undrafted free agent (2024) that spent time with the Tennessee Titans before re-signing with the Cowboys not long ago.
To date, Wood has nine NFL games under his belt but no starts and only two combined tackles on his career stat line, zeroed out across the board in every other category. This isn't to say Wood doesn't have potential — one of the biggest standouts in his rookie training camp with the Cowboys in 2024, leading to him being claimed on waivers in the first place — but anyone looking at the young, inexperienced safety as the solution for what ails the safety group is attached to an IV with blind hope in the drip.
Granted, the bye week approaches to help buy some time, but that doesn't change the fact durability has become an issue at the position, and it could continue to be an issue in the second half of the year; and hoping it doesn't is not a strategy.
The current state of affairs of the injured safeties in Dallas and their respective prognosis:
- Alijah Clark (ribs) - 1-2 weeks
- Juanyeh Thomas (migraines) - Undetermined
- Malik Hooker (toe) - IR
- Donovan Wilson (elbow/shoulder) - Undetermined
Thomas' migraines are new to him, a fact he disclosed to me ahead of the trip to Denver, and he's working desperately with the medical staff to try and figure out what treatment works to make them subside and ultimately disappear; and that includes trying a specialized type of goggles in practice, but none of it has resulted in him returning just yet. He's now missed two games, and a third absence could very well be on the way when the Arizona Cardinals arrive.
Hooker qualifies to return to practice under his 21-day window, having now been sidelined for four games, but head coach Brian Schottenheimer was definitive in declaring the veteran safety will not be permitted to touch the field again just yet, meaning he'll need more time to rehab.
As for Wilson, it's been a battle over the past couple of weeks or more to remain available as he deals with injuries, elbow and shoulder, that finally shut him down in Week 8, and threatens to do the same this coming weekend, ahead of the bye.
The situation is so dire that Reddy Steward, a nickel cornerback, was moved to safety alongside Bell against the Broncos, and it goes without saying that can't be a long-term solution but, again, there are no other healthy safeties on the active roster other than Bell.
Solution? There are a few, but since I am disallowed to name players under contract with other teams for possible trade scenarios (see? I can behave — sometimes), I'll focus on free agency to avoid a tampering charge that potentially costs the Cowboys a draft pick, because it's not as if I'm eyeing a Pennsylvania resident with a will of steel or anything.
So, that said, on to free agency options but, be warned, they're not plentiful; and that tracks, considering top-shelf safeties aren't usually still available in free agency approaching the midpoint of the season.
Honorable mentions:
- Marcus Williams, 29
- Vonn Bell, 30
- George Odum, 31
- Tashaun Gipson, 35
I wouldn't consider these as serious options, for reasons that vary from age (Gipson is 35 years old) to poor production, but they bear a mention here.
Now, on to those I would seriously consider:
Free safety
- Justin Simmons, 32
- Marcus Maye, 32
Both Simmons and Maye have skins on the wall, plenty of them, and it bears mentioning that Maye also spent time with Aaron Whitecotton, the Cowboys' defensive line coach, for the New York Jets in 2021, and you can never overlook a former Gator landing on Schottenheimer's radar. Neither he nor Simmons are worldbeaters at this point in their career, but what Dallas needs is something, anything of value at the position that stabilizes it going forward, barring a blockbuster trade (there's that word again).
And, formerly of the Broncos, Simmons has proven durable and capable, to the tune of 15 starts for the Atlanta Falcons last season that produced two interceptions, seven pass break ups and 62 combined tackles — production at the age of 32 that's hard to ignore when you're praying for rain.
Simmons also had three interceptions, eight pass break ups, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and 20 combined tackles for the Broncos in 2023, by the way, so … yeah. Again, his grades won't floor you, but right now you're sitting at an F, so don't shrug off someone who could potentially get you to a C-minus.
Strong safety
- Jordan Whitehead, 31
- John Johnson, 29
This is much more of a dicey proposition, given the fact the top two names, in my opinion, come strapped to some serious risk. The durability simply is not there for Whitehead and Johnson as of late, the former having experienced a car accident in 2024 that landed him on the NFI (non-football injury) list for that season, and it's unknown what his physical status is at the moment, or if he's able to play football at the NFL level ever again — still to-be-determined.
Johnson suffered a hairline fracture in his shoulder last season but was at least able to return for the Los Angeles Rams when they took on the Minnesota Vikings on Super Wild Card Weekend, but only briefly, and he's had shoulder issues on more than one occasion in the past.
You know what you need to tackle well? Shoulders.
Both Whitehead (a key contributor in the Buccaneers' recent Super Bowl victory) and Johnson make my short list of possibilities for one reason and one reason only: the Cowboys are desperate for any sort of proven talent that, if healthy, has at least a remote shot at contributing before the season becomes a lost cause.
It's a chance for the Cowboys, along with other moves that should be made, to totally redeem themselves, and that's word to Lloyd and Harry.
