George Iloka likes where he is in process as he seeks to replace Jeff Heath

[Rowdy]

Getty Images

The Cowboys set out to improve the strong safety position this offseason. But nearing the end of the offseason program, incumbent Jeff Heath continues to take first-team reps.

The Cowboys found Earl Thomas too expensive. They brought in Clayton Geathers and Eric Berry for free agent visits. They had Mississippi State’s Johnathan Abram, Florida’s Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Boston College’s Will Harris, Washington’s Taylor Rapp, Virginia’s Juan Thornhill and Michigan State’s Khari Willis among their college visitors.

Instead, Dallas signed veteran George Iloka and drafted Texas A&M’s Donovan Wilson in the sixth round.

Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones admitted last month he has received calls from teams about Dallas’ safety need. But Jones said the Cowboys would show patience.

Unless the Cowboys trade for a safety, Iloka appears the most likely to unseat Heath, whose tackling efficiency was next-to-last in the league among the 64 defenders with at least 535 defensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.

Iloka, 29, has 79 career starts in seven seasons, although only three came with the Vikings last season.

But Iloka is getting only second-team reps thus far.

“The next step for me is taking it from thinking to just now reacting and playing my game using my strengths and things like that. That’s the next step for me in my evolution,” Iloka said, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It’s just a process from where I was at from Day One. I feel like I’m a lot further than I was then. Obviously, I’ve got to keep progressing and taking those steps to where I want to get to in mid-preseason.

“It can click tomorrow. I know the defense. It’s just getting to the point where you’re not thinking and just reacting, and that just comes with repetition. There’s no set number, no set anything; ‘Oh this is the moment’ and this and that. I’ve played this game long enough it comes with repetition and those amount of reps come about by mid-trading camp and then your just riding a bike. It’s a process. I like where I am in the process, and I know where I want to get in the process.”