FRISCO, Texas — Safety Jayron Kearse had a free agent visit with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday and apparently the meeting went extremely well. The Cowboys are reportedly signing Kearse to a one-year contract according to multiple reports.
Dallas certainly has done their due diligence this offseason in the secondary. Dan Quinn has made the secondary a priority and focused in on the safety position. In addition to Kearse, the Cowboys hosted visits with safeties Damontae Kazee and Malik Hooker. As of now, the Cowboys added Kearse to provide a hybrid role- rotational depth at strong safety and contributor on special teams.
The Minnesota Vikings selected Kearse in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL draft. He spent four seasons with the Vikings predominately on special teams. Kearse played nickel, free, and strong safety but never found consistency. He was coached by George Edwards in Minnesota and the two will reunite in Dallas. That connection likely contributed to the decision.
Last season, he played for the Detroit Lions. Kearse started seven games for the Lions before being released due to violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy. Before being waived, he played at both free and strong safety notching career-highs in tackles (59) and snaps (503) on defense. He was then added to the Ravens’ practice squad.
Donovan Wilson has a starting safety role locked-up, but free safety Xavier Woods is a free agent and will likely test the open market. Both Darian Thompson, Reggie Robinson II and versatile recent free agent acquisition Keanu Neal are options. Neal has the ability to start at either weakside linebacker or boost the backfield at safety. He was the stereotypical cover three strong safety and can transition between roles in certain packages.
