In what could be the most important offseason of his career thus far, fourth-year safety Kavon Frazier is having to miss practices due to a knee problem that required a recent scope. It could knock him out until training camp, and any missed time is bad for a backup player in the final year of his rookie contract.

Frazier has been a reserve safety and special teams stud the last three seasons since Dallas drafted him in the sixth round of the 2016 Draft. With his contract expiring next year, Kavon will be fighting off younger talent to keep his roster spot in 2019.

The greatest threat is rookie Donovan Wilson from Texas A&M, who the Cowboys also took in the sixth round. If Wilson has early success, he’s essentially a younger, cheaper version of Frazier with a fresh four-year contract to enjoy.

With a projected top three of Jeff Heath, George Iloka, and Xavier Woods, there is probably just one roster spot left at safety once Dallas cuts down to 53 players. Barring injuries, Frazier and Wilson are likely to be fighting for the same job.

Even if Heath loses his starting job he is unlikely to be released. His ability to play either safety spot makes him an ideal backup over Frazier or Wilson, who are both better suited to play strong safety only.

In a media session yesterday, Head Coach Jason Garrett stated that Kavon Frazier could miss the rest of the mini-camps and OTAs. However, he didn’t say anything about Frazier not being ready for training camp.

With Donovan Wilson now in the mix, Kavon can’t afford to be out for long.