The Seahawks are still poking around for safety help, and their latest look is a familiar one.
On Wednesday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Seattle will work out veteran safety Donovan Wilson, a 31-year-old who spent his entire seven-year career with the Dallas Cowboys. Wilson entered the league as a sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL draft and developed from a late-round project into a steady part of Dallas’ secondary.
He has played in 98 games and made 75 starts, piling up 444 tackles, 13 sacks, nine forced fumbles, and eight interceptions. Two of those picks came last season.
Seattle doesn’t exactly have a glaring hole at safety. Julian Love, Ty Okada, Rodney Thomas, and Bud Clark are all positioned for major roles in 2026. But the team is still searching for depth during training camp, especially with Nick Emmanwori set to open the season on the PUP list after offseason ankle surgery.
The bigger question is what kind of role Wilson could actually fill. If Seattle is looking for a direct Emmanwori replacement, that may not be the cleanest fit. Emmanwori was used as a defensive chess piece and spent most of his time in the slot.
Wilson is built differently. He’s more of a box safety, and the numbers back that up.
PFF gave him a 73.9 run-defense grade last season, but his coverage grade was 38.6, which ranked 93rd out of 98 eligible safeties. His overall grade came in at 50.6, 88th at the position.
What Wilson does bring is physicality. He’s a hard hitter who usually finds a couple of splash plays each year.
What he doesn’t bring, at least based on last season’s grading, is reliable coverage. That makes this workout an interesting one for a Seattle defense that was one of the best against the pass in 2025.
If Wilson does land in Seattle, he’d be the latest former Cowboy to join the roster. DeMarcus Lawrence was one of the team’s top free-agent additions in 2025 after spending years in Dallas, and Dante Fowler Jr. also signed this offseason after two separate stints with the Cowboys.
Both of those players had a direct connection to Seahawks defensive coordinator Aden Durde, who coached on the Dallas defensive line for three seasons. Durde didn’t coach Wilson directly, but the two were in the same organization for several years, and that familiarity could matter. With the regular season approaching, that kind of head start can make a player a more appealing option.
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