The Dallas Cowboys tight end need is considered by many to be the most pressing of the 2019 offseason. Losing Jason Witten to retirement had a huge impact on the offense last season and there is no clear cut #1 guy ready to fill that void. Despite that, the urgency toward upgrading the tight end position may be a tad overblown and here is why.
The free agent pool of tight ends in 2019 is thin. Most of the options out there are too old (Ben Watson, Antonio Gates, Jared Cook), too frail (Tyler Eifert) or just not enough of an upgrade to justify the cost. I am not opposed to bringing in Eifert as a high upside option but based on his recent injury history, I am not optimistic that he would be available for an entire season.
There is some talent at the tight end position in the draft but the Cowboys do not have a 1st round pick and will miss out on the top tier options there. Furthermore, tight end is a position that traditionally has a higher learning curve than other positions. It is unlikely that a rookie tight end will come in and contribute immediately and Dallas needs to make a push now while Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are playing on their rookie contracts.
The Dallas Cowboys already have a slew of young developing tight ends on their roster. Blake Jarwin and Dalton Shultz really started to come on towards the end of last season. Both players have an opportunity to break out in 2019, especially as pass catchers. As blockers, both players also have plenty of room for improvement so adding a low key primarily blocking tight end is advisable. Then of course Rico Gathers is still a part of the team and hopefully another year under his belt and a new OC in Kellen Moore could jump start his development.
Lastly, there are more pressing needs on this team than TE in my opinion. Geoff Swaim may not return but he was not a dynamic player and can be replaced rather easily. Defensive tackle, safety, wide receiver and even depth at the running back position are all areas where the Dallas Cowboys could significantly improve by adding the right pieces in free agency and the draft. They are more likely to find an impact player at those positions than they can by adding a tight end.
Tight end may not be a position of strength for Dallas as it was when Jason Witten was here but the Cowboys can certainly get by without a major upgrade there. For that reason, the Dallas Cowboys tight end need is far less of a priority than many consider it to be.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
