The 2021 NFL Draft marked yet another season in which the Cowboys responded to a varying degree of uncertainty at the safety position by refusing to make a premium investment in it. They had already signed Jayron Kearse and Damontae Kazee to cheap, short-term deals, and would later do the same with Malik Hooker.
In the draft, Dallas had ample opportunities to select a safety with an early pick, but they waited until the end of the sixth round to select Israel Mukuamu. Coming out of South Carolina, Mukuamu was listed as a cornerback, although he played a hybrid role that led the Cowboys to draft him with the intent of moving him to safety full-time.