The Dallas Cowboys have added yet another piece to their secondary restoration project in 2021 free agency. Whether or not Keanu Neal continues to garner snaps at the safety position remains to be seen, but after a three-person tryout on Wednesday afternoon, one player most certainly will.
The Cowboys and former Atlanta Falcons starter Damontae Kazee have agreed to terms.
Another piece added to the #Cowboys defense: They are signing FA S Damontae Kazee after his visit yesterday, per @AgentButler1 of agency1amg. The former #Falcons starter is back with Dan Quinn, this time in Dallas.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 26, 2021
Kazee, 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, is a former fifth-round draft pick of Dan Quinn, the Cowboys new defensive coordinator. He’s capable of playing all over the defensive secondary, lining up as single-high, box safety and slot corner. In 2018 he notched seven interceptions, a forced fumble and had 10 pass defenses in his best season as a pro.
For his career he has 10 interceptions and five forced fumbles.
Quinn and secondary coach Joe Whitt, Jr. are expected to return Dallas to a Cover 3 defense that utilizes a single-high coverage the majority of time. Their familiarity with Kazee is rewarded with a reuniting in Dallas.
Kazee was one of three safeties who came to the Cowboys’ facilities on Wednesday, along with former first-round pick Malik Hooker and Jaryon Kearse, who spent 2020 with the Detroit Lions after four years with Minnesota.
Both Hooker and Kazee spent last year on the IR with torn achilles. The team signed Kearse later on Wednesday.
Kazee will be 28 by season kickoff, almost a full three years older than Hooker, and played in just four games in 2020. Prior to the injury he had been an ironman, playing all 16 games in his first three seasons.
In 2018, Pro Football Focus gave him a coverage grade of 82.7 out of 100, ranking as one of the better coverage safeties in the league, though his other performances haven’t come close to matching that.
With the Cowboys, he isn’t guaranteed to start, but he certainly raises the pedigree and the floor of the position. Donovan Wilson spent a lot of time in the second half of 2020 as a starter at free safety, but most observers feel his skillset is better suited as a strong safety with coverage abilities rather than as a single high. With Neal on board, it appears that the club has some level of possible rotation that should be NFL caliber at the position the franchise has long ignored.
The team can still improve on that in the coming draft.
[lawrence-related id=667014,666989][lawrence-newsletter]