From the outside, it certainly looked as though 2025 was a rough one for Dallas Cowboys backup safety Juanyeh Thomas. Back in October, things were breaking his way, as he had the chance to win the starting job at safety this season thanks to an injury to Malik Hooker, and he earned three starts in Weeks 5, 6 and again in Week 9.
Thomas also had one of the special teams highlights of the season for the Cowboys in Week 4, when he blocked a PAT from the Packers that set up Markquese Bell’s return for a 2-point touchdown in the tie vs. Green Bay.
But things unraveled for Thomas as the season went on. He was close with Marshawn Kneeland, whose suicide in early November rocked the team in general, and Thomas in particular. He then began to experience nerve issues which caused migraines that affected his vision. He last played in the Week 10 loss to the Cardinals, but the Cowboys shut him down from there.
Juanyeh Thomas: Cowboys Year was ‘Toughest Football Season’
Now, Thomas heads into free agency uncertain of his future with the Cowboys, or in the NFL. The Cowboys do have a need for depth at safety, but whether they’ll try to bring back Thomas after his migraine issue is in question.
Thomas, recounting what happened in 2025 with Kneeland, with “cruel” reactions to his own injuries and with the Cowboys in general, wrote on Twitter/X as the season wrapped up:
“Toughest football season of my life… Haven’t opened up about it…. But one thing I want to do is shed light on Marshawn… We lost a brother , A teammate, better yet one of the lights of the lockerooom… It wasn’t a day Since his passing that I didn’t think of him. Life slowed down for me and it made me realize how precious life really is.
“After being sat down for the rest of the season with my nerve issue, it was so easy for me to be down on myself and hate the world… As I watched people laugh at injury reports of me having migraine issues, really made me realize how cruel the world is, but one thing I did was lean on my brothers in that lockeroom and leaned on my Faith with the lord…”
Positive Message for 2026
Thomas is still only 25 years old, and has some upside when healthy. That should at least attract a veteran minimum offer from the Cowboys, or from somebody around the NFL, to make him an offer and keep him in the league.
As Thomas wrapped up his thoughts on 2025, he did inject a positive outlook.
“As I healed overtime , I’m glad I went through what I went through because it made me realize that I have to enjoy this life that could be tooken (sic) away from us at anytime…” he wrote. “This year changed my life and changed my family’s life … God is the greatest and he makes no mistakes… Love yall and be sure to take care of your mental. At the end of the day do what you have to do to feel like your best self, but make sure it’s led by Christ…”
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