Jeff Heath

He was ranked as the 27th best strong safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.

Jeff Heath (born May 14, 1991) is a former American football safety.

He played college football at Saginaw Valley State University.

The team advanced to the Michigan Division 1 state championship game in 2008 before falling to Rockford High School.

As a senior, he started as a defensive back, wide out, kicker and punter, voted team captain and received All-North conference honors.

Heath accepted a football scholarship from Saginaw Valley State University, an NCAA Division II program and a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

He was not heavily recruited out of high school, and was only offered a partial scholarship with SVSU.

As a freshman, he appeared in 5 games (one start), tallying 13 tackles (4 solo), one interception, one tackle for a loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass defensed.

As a sophomore, he appeared in 8 games (7 starts), tallying 49 tackles (3.5 for loss), one interception and 2 fumble recoveries.

As a junior, he started all 11 games, registering 81 tackles (9 for loss), one sack, 3 passes defended, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

As a senior, he started all games, recording 77 tackles (3 for loss), 5 interceptions, 7 passes defended, one forced fumble and 2 fumble recoveries.

He finished his college career after starting 30-of-35 games, posting 219 tackles (16.5 for loss), 7 interceptions, 4 forced fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries.

Heath majored in criminal science at Saginaw Valley State.

Heath didn't receive an invitation to perform at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

Heath signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2013.

He also played for the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints.

Heath attended Lake Orion High School where he practiced football and soccer.

He was selected as the Big Play Player of the Year for kicking a game-winning 49 yard field goal to give Lake Orion a playoff victory and regional title over Sterling Heights Stevenson.

On March 11, 2013, Heath participated at the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's pro day.

Team representatives and scouts from a few teams attended Heath's pro day, including the Dallas Cowboys.

At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Heath was projected to be a seventh round pick or priority undrafted free agent by NFL draft experts.

On April 27, 2013, the Cowboys signed Heath to a three-year, $1.48 million contract with a signing bonus of $2,000 after he went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft.

The Cowboys were the first team to call Heath and extend a contract offer.

Throughout training camp, Heath competed for a roster spot as a backup safety and special teams player against Brandon Underwood, Matt Johnson, Micah Pellerin, Jakar Hamilton, and Eric Frampton.

He impressed coaches with his preseason performance and made a total of 16 combined tackles (11 solo) and a forced fumble in five preseason games.

Heath made the active roster as the fifth safety on the Cowboys' depth chart and special teams player after Johnson was placed on injured reserve due to a foot injury.

Head coach Jason Garrett named Heath a backup free safety to start the regular season, behind Barry Church and Danny McCray.

He made his professional regular season debut in the Cowboys' season-opener against the New York Giants and assisted on one tackle during their 36–31 victory.

On October 27, 2013, Heath earned his first career start after J. J. Wilcox was inactive and missed three games (8-10) due to a knee injury.

Heath finished the Cowboys' 31–30 loss at the Detroit Lions with a season-high nine combined tackles and a forced fumble, but was also part of a highlight reel reception, when he lost a jump ball to Calvin Johnson.

The next two games proved to be difficult, with Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson running over him for a touchdown and being beaten for 3 touchdowns while playing against the New Orleans Saints.

In Week 12, although Wilcox returned from injury, Heath remained the starter, making six combined tackles and returned a fumble recovery for his first career touchdown in the Cowboys' 24–21 win at the Giants.

Heath recovered a fumble by wide receiver Victor Cruz and returned it for a 50-yard touchdown after it was stripped by teammate Orlando Scandrick during the second quarter.

On December 22, 2013, he recorded five combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception during a 24–23 victory at the Washington Redskins in Week 16.

Heath made his first career interception off a pass by Redskins' quarterback Kirk Cousins, that was originally intended for wide receiver Santana Moss, in the second quarter.

He finished his rookie season in 2013 with 60 combined tackles (47 solo), three pass deflections, an interception, a fumble recovery, a touchdown and 13 special teams tackles (led the team) in 16 games with nine starts.

Heath also led the Cowboys with 13 combined tackles on special teams.

Heath's rookie season was largely seen as a disappointment due to issues he had in pass coverage.

He was repeatedly targeted and gave up multiple receptions during the 2013 season.

On January 28, 2014, the Cowboys promoted defensive line coach Rod Marinelli to defensive coordinator after they opted to transition former defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin to assistant head coach/defense.