Overpaid Cowboy Robbed the Team Blind With 2024 Performance

The Dallas Cowboys' 2024 campaign is finally over. The season from hell finished with a 7-10 record as the team missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020.

The biggest disappointment came on the defensive side of the ball. After being a top-five defensive unit in back-to-back seasons with Dan Quinn as the defensive coordinator, the Cowboys took a major step back, allowing the second-most points in the NFL.

Injuries are a big reason for the defensive struggles. Mike Zimmer also deserves a ton of blame. What shouldn't go under the radar, however, is the underwhelming performance of a few Cowboys veterans.

One of those names is starting safety Donovan Wilson. Despite starting every game for Dallas and playing a career-high in defensive snaps, the 29-year-old defender had the worst season of his career. In 1,008 snaps, Wilson put up a 62.2 defensive grade on PFF, placing him as the 59th-best safety among 98 players.

To be sure, Wilson had some bright moments. Once the season got out of hand, he delivered a few vintage performances. He had 3.5 of his 4.5 sacks for the season in the final six weeks of the season. He also had two of his three pass breakups for the season in that span.

Overall, however, Wilson left plenty to be desired. When the Cowboys signed him to a three-year, $21 million deal in the 2023 offseason, they had higher expectations from the former Texas A&M standout.

Wilson has one more year left on his contract with $8.65 million on the books for the Cowboys. They can save up to $5.3 million by cutting him in the offseason. Considering that he will turn 30 next month, it's hard to imagine Wilson having a bounce-back season next year. Unfortunately, it's equally difficult to fathom Jerry Jones & Co. being fine with having Wilson's dead cap on the books and spending more money on a free agent safety.

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