Dallas Cowboys: Final 53-man roster prediction for 2021

Dallas Cowboys Safeties (5)

Donovan Wilson, Damontae Kazee, Malik Hooker, Israel Mukuamu, Jayron Kearse

I have to say, I am impressed with the Cowboys front office. After years of acting like safeties don’t matter, they finally went out and added some much-needed talent to their safety corps. Entering 2021, there’s a good chance that only one safety from their 2020 roster will be on the 53-man squad.

That player is Donovan Wilson who started to come on strong in his second season with Dallas. He’s likely the No. 1 strong safety and Damontae Kazee should be the starting free safety. Kazee, who is coming off a torn Achilles, has familiarity with Dan Quinn which should help him be the day one starter, but he has someone on his tail in Malik Hooker.

A former first-round pick of the Colts, Hooker is also coming off a torn Achilles but isn’t as far along in his recovery as Kazee. He is, however, ready to play but could use more time to knock off the rust and get acclimated to his new team. If he does stay healthy (a big if for him, unfortunately) Hooker could be the game-changing safety they have avoided adding with a passion for years.

As for their reserves, the two names to make the cut here are Israel Mukuamu and Jayron Kearse. Mukuamu is a sixth-round pick from South Carolina who played well in the preseason. There’s still some doubt that he makes this team because they like Darian Thompson more than they should, but Mukuamu’s upside should be the deciding factor. If they waive him, they will lose him because someone will claim him.

Kearse was an under-the-radar signing this offseason but has really impressed in the preseason. He seemed to be the one on the bubble but it was apparent before long that he had a role on this roster in 2021.