No one has ever handed Jeff Heath anything. He entered the league in 2013 as an undrafted free agent out of Saginaw Valley State.
Even after starting 31 games the past two seasons, Heath still is looked upon as a core special teams player.
The Cowboys openly have talked about trying to upgrade at strong safety, and executive vice president Stephen Jones mentioned Wednesday that the team has received calls from teams willing to trade them a safety.
Heath greets the news with a shrug.
“I feel the same that I do every year,” Heath said on ESPN Dallas 103.3, via the Dallas Morning News. “Regardless of what other safeties are there. I’ve kind of accepted in this league they are always trying to replace you [and] they are always looking at new guys. So that’s going to be something that not only myself, but everyone deals with on a yearly basis.”
The good news for Heath is the Cowboys didn’t do much at the position this offseason. They didn’t get involved in the bidding for Earl Thomas, instead signing George Iloka in the second tier of free agency. They passed on drafting Juan Thornhill or Taylor Rapp in the second round and settled for Donovan Wilson in the sixth.
As it stands now, Iloka and Heath figure to have the best chance to win the job opposite free safety Xavier Woods.
“That’s what makes the NFL the NFL,” Heath said. “You always have to compete for your spot. I don’t see it as a competition with other players. I see it as a competition with myself to try to be better than the year I was before. Improve on stuff I need to improve on. It’s just a more enjoyable way to play rather than trying to look over your shoulder at all times.”