3 Dallas Cowboys who need contract extensions in 2020

1. Xavier Woods, Safety

So yes, it is officially an all-defensive backfield group that Dallas needs to re-sign. And one of the seasons for that is the simple fact that their secondary has been pretty bad in recent seasons so when there are starting-caliber players, they need to keep them in town. And Xavier Woods is a starting free safety in the NFL.

Last season, for example, he earned a 73.2 grade according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That landed him at No. 24 overall for his position. That isn’t exactly Pro Bowl level, but it is respectable for a third-year player who was drafted in the sixth round. It’s also not bad considering the team’s struggles at times to generate a consistent pass rush which made the job of all the secondary members even more difficult.

In addition to this, Woods was dealing with uncertainty next to him at strong safety. Entering training camp, Jeff Heath and George Iloka were battling for the job. Heath won and Iloka was cut but then Heath struggled with health. His primary backup, Kavon Frazier, was also hurt and before long Darian Thompson was starting.

Hopefully, the team will address that spot in 2020 and that could help Woods excel. Also aiding him will be the arrival of Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator, who looks ready to inject some new life in this defense.

Like others before him, Woods will only increase his stick the more he plays. Because of that, Dallas should extend him in 2020 and as long as they find a good strong safety in the draft (finally) they could actually have a respectable set of starting safeties.