Cowboys 2026 free agent profile: S Donovan Wilson

The Dallas Cowboys have 22 players (UFA/RFA) who will officially hit the open market in a little less than two months. Today, we continue our series examining each of the Cowboys’ impending free agents, reviewing their 2025 campaign and predicting what will be next for each player.

We continue our free agent profile series by taking a look at our second defender, safety Donovan Wilson. 

2025 Regular Season Stats: 15G, 53 Tackles, 20 Assisted Tackles, 15 Defensive Stops, 18 Missed Tackles, 19.8% Missed Tackle Rate, 2 INT, 2 PBU

Year Review: Donovan Wilson entered the 2025 season as the longest-tenured member of the Cowboys’ defense. Wilson was entering his seventh season in Dallas, and his time as a Cowboy had been filled with plenty of ups and downs.

With the Cowboys implementing a new defensive scheme, Dallas needed Wilson at his best, both mentally and physically, in the backend of their defense. Unfortunately for both Wilson and the Cowboys, the veteran safety never proved to be a fit in Matt Eberflus’ scheme, putting together one of the least-productive seasons of his career.

Throughout his NFL career, Wilson’s calling card has been his physicality and willingness to attack the ball carrier without fear. He’s never been a strong coverage safety, but he was able to play a vital role in a capable defense if you played him to his strengths. 

To Wilson’s dismay, Eberflus used him last season about as poorly as you could have imagined. Even after he continued to struggle in coverage, Eberflus kept putting Wilson in disadvantageous situations. On the year, the 30-year-old allowed 29 receptions for 315 yards and a team-high eight touchdowns. Wilson also had a 38.8 coverage grade, by far the worst of his seven-year career.

While Wilson is not a perfect player and certainly had his faults, Eberflus’s stubbornness running him out in situations that did not play to his strengths was a big reason for the down year. 

Free Agency Outlook: Wilson picked a bad time to have arguably the worst-performing season of his career, as his three-year extension signed in 2023 has come to an end. For the first time in his seven years as a pro, Wilson will hit the open market. 

After such a disappointing season, it’s hard to project how teams will view Wilson as a potential free agent addition. Will prospective teams look at what he did in Dan Quinn and Mike Zimmer’s defenses and see a player who can be productive if you put them in the right situations? Or will last season’s lapses and struggles in coverage turn teams off from adding the veteran safety?

While there is no denying that there were some ugly moments last year, Wilson has put together enough of a proven track record that some team will be willing to take a chance on him, betting on a bounce-back campaign in 2026. Spotrac projects Wilson to earn a three-year, $20M contract on the open market, almost identical to the extension he signed with Dallas back in 2023.

While this projection does seem a bit high, teams are always looking for safeties. Wilson may be able to take advantage of this and earn himself a multi-year deal, even after such a poor season.

Cowboys Verdict: For a sixth-round pick, Wilson turned out to be one of Dallas’ best late-round draft selections in franchise history. He was never anything close to an All-Pro talent, but he was a productive player in Dallas who lasted seven years, something almost no sixth-round picks have done.

While Wilson had some great moments as a Cowboy, it seems like a virtual guarantee that his time in Dallas has come to an end. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker will likely look to add some players he is familiar with (Reed Blankenship?) in the backend, making a Wilson return to Dallas unlikely. 

All in all, Donovan Wilson was a good Cowboy, but he will be wearing a different uniform for the first time in his NFL career at the start of next season.

Prediction: Donovan Wilson reunites with Dan Quinn, signing a two-year, $12M deal with the Washington Commanders.