FRISCO, Texas – After three safety visits in one week, the Dallas Cowboys have their man. The team signed George Iloka to a one-year deal on Saturday. The 28-year-old will be an additional weapon for Dallas in the secondary and pupil for innovative coach, Kris Richard.
The team’s No.1 priority in recent days has been at safety. Earl Thomas would have been too much money underneath the salary cap and more than Dallas was willing to spend. The Cowboys hosted visits with Clayton Geathers and Eric Berry on Tuesday. Geathers re-signed with the Indianapolis Colts and Berry is still surveying his options, but his track record of injury is a cause of concern for many teams around the league. The saying is “third time’s a charm” and the Cowboys are hopeful that Iloka will be just that.
Iloka played college ball for Boise State and was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals. He spent the majority of his career with the Bengals from 2012-2017, and played the 2018 season for the Minnesota Vikings. Throughout his seven-year career in the league, he amassed 359 combined tackles, 32 passes defensed, and nine interceptions in 99 total games played. He did not meet expectations with the Vikings last season, playing in 16 games and starting in just three- totaling only 16 tackles.
Iloka is a solid zone defender and has the speed/instincts to react in the backfield to make a play on the ball. He can play both free and strong safety. With Dallas, he will add depth at the position and bring added competition, boosting the performance level of the safety core. He will join starters, Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods, along with Kavon Frazier and Darian Thompson as backups. The Cowboys’ last line of defense has lacked consistency and Iloka could be the key.
