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Head coach Brian Schottenheimer and the Dallas Cowboys lost safety Juanyeh Thomas to the Indianapolis Colts on Friday.

The Dallas Cowboys are trying to revamp their defense, particularly their secondary, this offseason. To do that, they are going to allow pending defensive free agents to leave. That’s what happened with depth safety Juanyeh Thomas on Friday.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported the Indianapolis Colts agreed to sign Thomas. The financial details of the contract were not disclosed.

Typically, signing announcements that don’t include financial terms are cheap contracts.

Dallascowboys.com’s Patrik Walker also reported Thomas signing with the Colts. Walker also didn’t include for what amount.

Thomas signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent after the 2022 draft. The safety didn’t make the team during the 2022 preseason, but he inked a deal to be on the Cowboys practice squad that fall.

In the 2023 preseason, he earned a Dallas roster spot. Over the past three years, he posted 62 combined tackles and five pass defenses in 36 games.

During 2025, he started three games on defense.

While a bit of a liability against the pass, Thomas served multiple purposes while with the Cowboys. He contributed the most against the run and on special teams.

“He will fit the run, run the alleys and finish what is on his plate as a downhill safety, but assignment busts and coverage tightness will cause defensive coordinators stress on the back-end,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in 2022. “He’s a very talented cover man on special teams. He might even have the frame to take on more weight and give it a go as a linebacker in the future.”

Ex-Cowboys Safety Juanyeh Thomas Signs With Colts: Report

In the span of about 10 minutes, the Colts added a pair of safeties Friday afternoon. In addition to Thomas, Indianapolis also signed Jonathan Owens. Indianapolis is trying to replace starting safety Nick Cross, who left to ink a deal with the Washington Commanders.

Thomas is likely best suited for a reserve/special teams role with Indianapolis. But he could be a valuable contributor again in the right situation.

During 2023, Thomas played a career-high 315 special teams snaps. He also played 190 defensive snaps in 16 games that season.

Thomas displayed surprisingly great coverage skills as a second-year player in 2023. At Pro Football Focus, he earned an 85.9 coverage grade (out of 100) during 2023.

But for most of his Cowboys tenure, Thomas was better against the run. He earned a 69 run defense grade last season, which was his best 2025 mark in any category.

Changes Coming to Cowboys Defense

The Cowboys were likely comfortable with Thomas leaving because of his more recent performances in coverage.

Dallas finished near the bottom of the league in a lot of pass defense categories last season. The poor pass defense led to the Cowboys also ending 2025 rated 30th in yards allowed and last in points against.

Simply put, to fix their defense, the Cowboys need more players suited to stop the pass.

During the first week of free agency, the Cowboys traded for edge rusher Rashan Gary after missing on Maxx Crosby. They also added defensive linemen Otito Ogbonnia and Tyrus Wheat.

The Cowboys, though, have made more additions to their secondary than any other position group. This week, the team added safety Jalen Thompson, cornerback Decobie Durant and safety P.J. Locke.

Those additions will help the Cowboys overcome the loss of Thomas.

Dallas also has two first-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. It wouldn’t be surprising if the Cowboys spent both on defensive players, including one on another secondary player.

Dave Holcomb is a sports reporter covering the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. Originally from Pittsburgh, Holcomb has covered college and professional sports for outlets including FanSided, Rotowire and Yardbarker. More about Dave Holcomb