FRISCO, Texas – With the 2025 regular season now behind the Cowboys, it's time to look ahead to 2026, where they'll try to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2023.
As they begin to do so, our "What's Next" series will examine each position on the roster and look at the past, present and future of the room and the players within it. We'll continue the series with the safeties:
Past: If Darren Woodson doesn't get named to the Hall of Fame this year, we riot. Once again, the legendary Cowboys' safety is a finalist to be entered into Canton, but time will tell if he gets the knock at his door this time around or if he'll be snubbed, an egregious error in judgment toward a player that literally changed the entire NFL as it relates to how safeties are used nowadays.
And Woodson is just one part of the legacy at the position in Dallas, a list much too long to list in only a few words, but it includes names like Bill Bates, Charlie Waters, Mel Renfro, Cliff Harris, Roy Williams and Randy Hughes. There is no getting around the fact there's a standard to be upheld at safety in Dallas, but it's been a long time since it's reached these heights.
Present: There is much to figure out here, Cowboys. Kudos for finally coming into the present era and understanding the importance of the position, thanks to the Dan Quinn era that added Malik Hooker. That said, Hooker had a tough 2025 campaign that was mostly muddied by injury, and Donovan Wilson struggled to do what Matt Eberflus wanted; and largely because it was the opposite of what he made a name for himself doing: namely, being a downhill heat-seeking missile and not a pure cover guy.
The backups didn't fare much better, with promising young safety Juanyeh Thomas losing his season to debilitating migraines and Markquese Bell flashing, but doing most of his best work on special teams as he, too, struggled under the previous defensive regime. There's still younger talent that barely saw the field defensively, but do show some promise for later on.
Future: Alijah Clark immediately comes to mind here. The undrafted rookie went viral in 2025 for his effort on special teams, a hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners player who could get more of a look in Year 2 under Christian Parker. Zion Childress remains in Dallas on a futures deal and his versatility to drop down into nickel coverage could come in handy, while Julius Wood provides another power-punch at the position, and like Clark, is also trying to prove himself as an undrafted player from last year.
That's a lot to pin on such unproven youth though, but the Cowboys may not have much of a choice, assuming the position isn't addressed in free agency. Wilson is a free agent. Thomas is a restricted free agent that is working to put his migraines behind him. Hooker's three-year deal concludes after 2026, a season in which he'll hit the team's salary cap for $8.9 million. The only proven, secured safety is Bell, and that means the position needs some serious attention this offseason.
