FRISCO, Texas – With Cowboys starting safety Malik Hooker exiting Sunday's 40-40 tie against Green Bay with a toe injury, Juanyeh Thomas stepped in at safety for Dallas the rest of the game.
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said earlier in the week that Hooker's injury could sideline him for a few weeks, meaning Thomas will likely start at safety for the Cowboys on Sunday against the Jets.
"It's something I've been practicing for," Thomas said. "I know my role, I prep like a starter every week, so this is nothing different…"
"This was a chance for me to come in and see if I can help. Like I said, I practice for this moment. I won't do anything different, I'll just see what I can do."
He'll join a Dallas secondary that has struggled the last few weeks, allowing 30 or more points in each of the last three games and is ranked 32nd in yards allowed per game with 420.5.
In Weeks 2 and 3, it was the deep shot, big plays that ended up hurting the Cowboys on the back end the most. In Week 4 against the Packers, there was more of an emphasis on taking away the deep shots, but Green Bay countered by having success in the short to intermediate and screen attack.
Thomas and the group as a whole haven't shied away from the fact that they haven't played their best in the first four games, but are confident they're growing and can right the ship.
"It's been rough the past four games, but we're going to get it right," Thomas said. "I truly believe that… if you truly look at the depths of it, we are getting better every week."
Not only did Thomas come in and play 49 snaps on defense, but he had 15 on special teams as well, where most of his usage has been in 2025.
There was no snap bigger from his 15 than a blocked extra point in the second quarter, which was returned for a two-point conversion by Markquese Bell and swung momentum in Dallas' favor, helping score 16 unanswered points before the end of the half to take a 16-14 lead.
In a start to the season that's been full of blocked kicks already, Thomas knew his time to block one was coming after getting close in the three prior games. He credited C.J. Goodwin and rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku, the two players lined up alongside him on kick block attempts, for doing their jobs to create a gap he can jump through and get to the ball.
"If you look at the film, go teams across the league, you have a 'leaker', which is like the soft side, and I feel like everybody across the league is attacking that side," Thomas explained. "That is something I always look at every week."
Not only will Sunday mark Thomas' first regular season start for the Cowboys in 2025, it'll also be a significant moment for his family.
Thomas' younger brother, Azareye'h, was a third-round pick by the Jets in the 2025 NFL Draft out of Florida State. On Sunday, they'll live a childhood dream of taking the field together in an NFL game.
"The day after he got drafted, we were just sitting there talking like 'Man, we used to dream, we used to talk about this, we used to train for this.' Now, it's just crazy." Thomas said.
Thomas said that he plans to briefly see his brother on Saturday night to give him a hug, and immediately tell him "bye" and get to business. The will swap jerseys postgame, and go take a picture with their mother, Stephanie, who Thomas says has loaded up on a wardrobe of split clothing between Juanyeh's Cowboys and Azareye'h's Jets.
