Dallas Cowboys: Move J.J. Wilcox to Linebacker?

The Dallas Cowboys J.J. Wilcox lost his job last season as the starting free safety. Could a position switch to LB save his career?

The Dallas Cowboys had high hopes for J.J. Wilcox when then they drafted him in the 3^rd round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The receiver, turned slot back, turned safety from Georgia Southern had ample athleticism that was seemingly untapped amidst his multiple positional moves.

The Dallas Cowboys saw Wilcox as a player who had the potential to develop into something special if just given the time. It’s that potential that coaches and fans fell in love with. The high hopes led to high expectations and after some steady development early, J.J. Wilcox effectively plateaued in his development.

Last season was J.J. Wilcox’s worst season as a pro. He scored among the league’s worst in run-support tackling and he continued to look unnatural and a step behind in coverage.

Even the patented Roy Williams–type hits seemed to disappear from Wilcox’s game. It didn’t take long for the Dallas Cowboys to replace the young safety in the starting lineup.

Mid-season, J.J. Wilcox was replaced by rookie 1^st rounder Byron Jones. Jones, who played both cornerback and safety earlier in the season was made Wilcox’s permanent replacement, even after the CB corps became desperately thin. That says something about Jones as well as something about Wilcox.

Early indications are that Jones will remain at FS for the 2016 season, meaning that J.J. Wilcox is without a job. Wilcox, in the final year of his rookie contract, will still see the field in a reserve role because even without injuries to presumed starters Byron Jones and Barry Church, the Dallas Cowboys use three safeties often in their defensive packages.

But since a reserve role may not be the ideal situation for a player on the verge of free agency, perhaps it would be advantageous to both sides to consider a position switch.

Such a move is not without precedent. Many safeties have switched to LB over the years and many have found success. The most recent success story is former Alabama safety, Mark Barron.

Barron, the former first round pick (and suspected target of the Cowboys), was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2012 NFL Draft. After a couple ugly seasons in the Bucs secondary, Barron was shipped off to the St. Louis Rams for a couple draft picks. But instead of just plugging the former #7 overall pick into their secondary, the Rams decided to repurpose him as a linebacker.

When the Rams’ starting weakside LB Alec Ogletree was lost to injury, Barron moved into the lineup and delivered a breakout performance.

"“Played every snap,” head coach Jeff Fisher said of Barron. “The defensive staff had him credited with 19 tackles, two caused fumbles, and two tackles for loss. He’s filled in nicely.”"

I should say so. The former safety logged 941 snaps last season and ranked as Pro Football Focus’ #20 LB in the NFL last year. Mark Barron found a way to re-invent himself and now enters free agency as a sought-after player. This may be a path that J.J. Wilcox could follow back to relevancy.