In the past week, the Dallas Cowboys have seen two of their secondary’s former members go elsewhere in the NFL in free agency.
Damontae Kazee left for the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier in the week, and now the Seattle Seahawks have officially announced that Josh Jones is coming back to the team after hitting free agency.
“The @Seahawks made two roster moves this afternoon,” Seattle’s PR account Tweeted on May 3 to officially announce the news.
The @Seahawks made two roster moves this afternoon.
t.co/LwJfsdQkZ1
Jones spent portions of the 2021 season with the Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts, which has been a running theme for the former Cowboy: since his arrival in Dallas in 2019, Jones has been playing on one-year, small-money contracts as he tries to establish a permanent home.
The safety sees plenty of snaps, but apparently hasn’t done enough to maintain a spot anywhere. He will get another chance in Seattle this offseason, after failing to do so in Indianapolis, Dallas or with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers.
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Jones’ Stops with Cowboys and Others
Coming out of NC State in the 2017 offseason, Jones was considered a high-end talent after eight interceptions in three playing seasons in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Packers liked what they saw, and drafted the defensive back with the No. 61 overall pick in the second round.
Jones didn’t exactly excel upon arriving in Green Bay. Over two seasons, Jones brought down just one interception, but did have 100 solo tackles and three sacks according to PFR. Either way, the Packers didn’t view him as a must-keep player and waived him in August of 2019.
Which is where the Cowboys come in. Dallas initially signed Jones to their practice squad in October of 2019, before being promoted to the active roster in November. In total, Jones played six games that season for Dallas, with the majority of the snaps being on special teams.
The former Wolfpack star was waived before the end of the 2019 season and was eventually picked up by the Jaguars for their 2020 season. He started 13 games and had one interception.
Last season, Jones started with the Colts before his release and move to Seattle. He played in ten total games between the two teams, starting one game for the Seahawks. He registered one pass defended.
Kazee Heads Out in Free Agency
As mentioned above, Kazee is another former Cowboys DB who is heading somewhere new via the Steelers, although he’s coming directly off his season in Dallas unlike Jones.
Also unlike Jones, Kazee is a player that Cowboys fans will likely miss. The safety started 15 games in 2021, bringing down two interceptions and forcing two fumbles in his first and only season in Texas.
Kazee is still looking to replicate his monstrous 2018 season, where the former San Diego State star brought down seven interceptions and totaled 60 solo tackles. He added three more picks to his resume in 2019, but injury sidelined Kazee in 2020.
His 2021 season in Dallas helped prove that Kazee is still a playmaker, but the Cowboys will have to watch him make plays in Pittsburgh going forward.
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Former Cowboys DB Signs with Seahawks in Free Agency