For the Cowboys, most of the positional battles that will be settled in the coming days will not be so much of a matter of sussing out strengths, but of limiting weaknesses. The Cowboys put themselves through an NFL roster overhaul this spring, leaving the team with several areas in which they’re just hoping they have enough depth and talent.
The defensive backfield, though, is not one of those areas. Daron Bland, Trevon Diggs and Jourdan Lewis give the Cowboys one of the best cornerback groupings in the NFL, and Malik Hooker will be rejoined by Markquese Bell (who had filled in as a hybrid linebacker) at safety. The back line of the Cowboys defensive unit it set.
So set, in fact, that it might be time to let go of Israel Mukuamu, the team’s intriguing sixth-round pick from 2021. At Bleacher Report, the Cowboys are being implored to let Mukuamu go, so that he might find playing time elsewhere.
Israel Mukuamu Got Only 75 Snaps Last Year
In an article on the site titled, “1 Player Each NFL Team Should Cut Before the 2024 Season,” analyst David Kenyon lands on Mukuamu. He wrote:
“A sixth-round pick in 2021, Israel Mukuamu has played 33 games in his three seasons with the Cowboys. However, most of that action has been on special teams; Mukuamu only logged 75 defensive snaps last year. He’s worth stashing on the practice squad, if possible, but is probably no higher than fifth in the safety pecking order.”
Mukuamu probably should play more. It appeared he would after he was pressed into action in the 2022 playoffs against the Buccaneers, and not only shut down star Chris Godwin, but also picked off Tom Brady, making Mukuamu the answer to the trivia question: Who was the last player to intercept Brady?
When he’s gotten a chance, he has shown some talent, and graded out at 76.3 at Pro Football Focus last year. He was only targeted as a defensive back three times last season, and allowed one catch for a 42.4 rating. Small sample size, but Mukuamu does have talent.
Cowboys Stacked in the Defensive Backfield
There is much at stake for Mukuamu this year, as he enters the final season of his rookie contract and heads into free agency next season. Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has helped Mukuamu this summer by giving him some run at slot corner, showing his versatility.
Still, if Mukuamu does not play much for the Cowboys, he will not get a chance to show other teams what he can do, either. And getting on the field will not be easy.
Both Bland and Diggs landed in the Top 30 among cornerbacks in Pro Football Focus’ preseason rankings.
Mukuamu has played at safety more, but that won’t be easy, either. Hooker ranked No. 10 on PFF’s safeties list, and Bell would have ranked, too, had he not been a linebacker last season.
“Hooker has been a different player in Dallas compared to his time in Indianapolis,” PFF wrote. “He has already played more snaps in three seasons with the Cowboys than in four years with the Colts, and while he earned a PFF overall grade over 70.0 only once in Indianapolis, he has graded above 70.0 in all three years in Dallas.
“As a result, Hooker’s 82.0 overall grade over the past three seasons ranks 10th among safeties.”
