One former high-profile Dallas Cowboys starter might be headed for a fresh start with the defending Super Bowl champions.
“Former Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson is working out today for the Seahawks,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Wednesday. “Seattle’s defensive coordinator Aden Durde coached Wilson in Dallas.”
Wilson, 31, was a 6th-round pick (No. 213 overall) by the Cowboys in the 2019 NFL Draft who became the starter in his 2nd season and held that role for the next 6 seasons. He just played out the entirety of the 3-year, $21 million contract he signed with the Cowboys before the 2023 season.
Wilson started all 15 regular-season games he played for the Cowboys in 2025 and was 1 of the NFL’s worst safeties. According to Pro Football Focus, Wilson’s 50.6 overall grade for the 2025 season placed him 88th out of 98 eligible NFL safeties.
Cowboys Secondary Shredded in 2025
had the worst defense in the NFL in 2025, and much of that struggle fell squarely on the shoulders of the secondary — most notably cornerback Trevon Diggs and Wilson.
Watching the 2 get cooked by NFL wide receivers all year was its own special kind of torture. Diggs, when he actually played, was terrible. He was eventually waived on December 30 after refusing to board a team flight home from an away game on the East Coast
Wilson wasn’t much better.
Both players are still looking for new jobs following the start of training camp and were still ranked among ESPN’s “Top Free Agents Available” in May.
Diggs, 27, was the youngest player to make the list at No. 13.
“Diggs has played in just 22 games over the past three seasons, and he was released by the Cowboys and Packers this past season,” ESPN’s Matt Bowen wrote. “However, teams could see Diggs as a reclamation project with his playmaking eyes in the secondary. He has had 20 career interceptions, including a league high of 11 in 2021.”
Wilson came in at No. 17 on ESPN’s list. Unlike Diggs, he has been durable. Wilson played at least 15 games each of the last 4 seasons and played all 17 games twice, in 2022 and 2024.
“Wilson is a box/split-field safety who plays with a tone-setting mentality,” Bowen wrote. “He can also mix it up in the run front or match up with tight ends in coverage. Wilson had 71 tackles and two interceptions last season.”
Part of the frustration on the part of the Cowboys and their fans was the combined $118 million in contracts the duo signed before the 2023 season — a 5-year, $97 million contract extension for Diggs and the 3-year, $21 million contract extension for Wilson.
Cowboys Signed $33 Million Free Agent Safety
The Cowboys made 2 huge investments in the secondary this offseason, using the No. 11 overall pick in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL draft on Ohio State safety Caleb Downs and dropping a 3-year, $33 million free-agent contract on safety Jalen Thompson — Wilson’s replacement for all intents and purposes as Downs will start his career at the slot cornerback position.
Pro Football Focus singled out the deal for Thompson as 1 of their favorite NFL free-agent signings.
“Thompson was among the most consistent and most underrated safeties in the NFL while playing alongside Budda Baker in Arizona,” PFF’s Zolton Buday wrote. “The Washington State product has earned a PFF overall grade between 68.0 and 72.0 in five of his past six seasons. His 69.2 PFF coverage grade this past season ranked 26th among 93 safeties. Plus, he will be only 28 years old when the 2026 campaign kicks off.”
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