Along with all the controversy surrounding wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys must also find a way to move Israel Mukuamu. Due to being buried in the roster, the franchise may consider trading him to get some sort of value in the end.
Mukuamu grew up in Moncks Corner, South Carolina, before his family moved to Bossier City, Louisiana for his senior year of high school. He attended Parkway High School, where he received All-Southwest Region honors.
The safety originally committed to play at Florida State, but ultimately chose to attend the University of South Carolina instead. As a true freshman in 2018, he saw playing time in all 13 games, making 17 tackles and 1 interception.
In 2019, the future Cowboys player had a breakout sophomore season, starting 13 games at cornerback and safety. He earned second-team All-SEC honors after recording 59 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 9 pass breakups. His standout performance came in a upset win over 3rd-ranked Georgia, where he had 11 tackles and 3 interceptions, including a pick-six.
Although his junior year in 2020 was limited by a recurring groin injury, he still played in six games with fiev starts, recording 10 tackles and 2 interceptions. After the dismissal of the head coach, he opted out of the final three games to focus on the 2021 NFL Draft. The safety was ultimately selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2021 draft, with the intention of playing him at safety.
Safety Israel Mukuamu Revealed To Be Dallas Cowboys’ Top Trade Block Candidate
After getting eliminated by the Green Bay Packers in the playoffs last season, the Cowboys must find a way to become better for the upcoming campaign. In an NFL analysis by Ryan Fowler for Bleacher Report, the obvious player to trade from the roster is Mukuamu.
“A corner-turned-safety, Israel Mukuamu remains buried on the Dallas depth chart despite his potential and exciting athletic traits. A 6’4″ with 33-plus-inch arms and over 200 pounds, Mukuamu looks the part.
However, the 24-year-old hasn’t been able to put it all together in between hashes. While the departure of Jayron Kearse initially looked like an opportunity for Mukuamu to work into more snaps, he projects to enter the year behind a long list of Cowboys secondary defenders.
Each of Markquese Bell, Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson and Juanyeh Thomas remain higher on the depth chart than the South Carolina product in Mukuamu. A change of scenery could work wonders for Mukuamu, while a return of a Day 3 pick in next year’s draft for Dallas could spark movement,” Fowler wrote.
After three seasons of limited playing time, the sixth-round pick from 2021 is hoping to prove his worth and earn a spot on the roster. With the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator change from Dan Quinn to Mike Zimmer, Mukuamu will need to adapt quickly and demonstrate his value as a depth option at both cornerback and safety, while also contributing on special teams.
It remains to be seen whether Mukuamu can get some minutes on the field to prove he belongs in Dallas or the team will end up trading him. In any case, the safety might have to work harder for his next contract.
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