Cowboys: Jeff Heath won’t be the lone answer at safety in 2017

Jeff Heath is looking at an increased role with the Dallas Cowboys but he won’t be the sole answer at safety in 2017.

The Dallas Cowboys will be leaning on long-time special teamer and reserve safety, Jeff Heath, to fill an important role in the secondary this season. The fifth year player from Saginaw Valley saw his train come in last season when he gave the Cowboys a career performance in their postseason loss to the Green Bay Packers.

In 2017 many are calling for Jeff Heath to take over the starting safety position alongside Byron Jones. That would be a mistake…

While it’s hard to argue with Jeff Heath’s increased role this season, it’s also hard to argue the Cowboys will look to one singular player to match with Byron Jones at safety. If last season taught us anything it’s that the Cowboys don’t play with just two safeties.

The Dallas Cowboys are evolving to a team that leans heavily on it’s secondary. They don’t just play in nickel coverage more often than not, but they also regularly field three or more safeties at the same time.

In 2016 former first round pick, Byron Jones, logged 1,050 snaps. Barry Church logged 723 snaps. J.J. Wilcox played 574 snaps. And Heath chipped in 265 snaps. Some of that was due to injury and some of that was by design.

Some will hinge on the progression of the Cowboys’ promising rookies, Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, Xavier Woods, and Marquez White. But regardless, we should all expect to see a similar distribution of snaps this coming season.

Jeff Heath

Jeff Heath’s progression has been at deep safety. In coverage he’s corrected his habit of taking poor angles and giving up big plays, and he’s replaced them with good angles, instinctive play, and plays on the ball. There is always room for a playmaker on this turnover-starved secondary and as long as he’s making plays on the ball he has a major role on the defense.

His run support is an entirely different story. Heath rated near the very bottom of the league against the run, and playing the run is a vital part of the role Barry Church played last season. It’s likely the Cowboys will use Heath more in a centerfielder role when playing the single high safety, and bring in run-stopping safety for in-the-box duties.

For a full breakdown of Heath, check out the related article directly below:

Kavon Frazier

So many are overlooking Kavon Frazier in this mix despite Frazier being a near-clone of the man he would be replacing in Barry Church. Two months ago I broke down Kavon Frazier’s skill set and perfectly it matched Church’s role as Rod Marinelli’s in-the-box safety. I would be shocked if Frazier did not log 200+ snaps in 2017, lining up in the box.

For a full breakdown of Kavon Frazier’s fit on the defense, check out the related article directly below:

Xavier Woods

As I said a couple weeks ago, if history is an indicator, Xavier Woods is going to take some time. The transition from NCAA to NFL is significant. And for someone playing the last line of defense, consequences of mistakes can be dire.

Expect the Cowboys to be patient with Woods this season. They groomed Jeff Heath for years and they groomed Barry Church for years and both seem to be working out. It would be in their best interest (and Woods’) to go slow and expose their rookie as little as possible.

Robert Blanton

Excuse me if I don’t jump up and down at the idea of Robert Blanton at safety next season, but I just don’t see it. In fact, in my first (and only to-date) 53-man roster projection I saw Blanton as nothing more than an insurance policy against injury (or should Heath fall on his face). I still don’t see him making the team.

Chidobe Awuzie

I know he’s not a safety but neither was Byron Jones at the start. The difference is I think Awuzie’s final position will be cornerback while I always saw Jones as a safety.

Awuzie will be a moveable piece for Rod Marinelli. The Cowboys will utilize his strengths and hide his weakness. I expect him to log occasional snaps at safety and a ton of snaps in the slot.

Next: How good is Nolan Carroll: A breakdown of his performance

Wrap-up

When all is said and done the Cowboys snap distribution will look a lot like last season. Jeff “the GOAT” Heath will log the most snaps, Kavon Frazier will take the traditional strong safety snaps, and Chidobe Awuzie will chip in to blitz and provide man-coverage out of the slot.

Like last season, safety will be a team effort.

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