The Dallas Cowboys tight end position has truly been one of the biggest weaknesses on the roster for the past few seasons. As much as loyal fans do not want to admit it, future Hall of Famer TE Jason Witten was a shell of his former self towards the end of his career. His presence on the team also hindered the development of the current crop of young tight ends, especially when he came out of retirement in 2019. Meanwhile, the likes of Travis Kelce, Rob Gronkowski, George Kittle, and Zack Ertz provided Cowboys fans with a glimpse of what it could be like to have an elite, game changing, tight end on the roster. Once again, the Cowboys 2021 roster will be lacking to a degree at the position but at the same time, it is also possible that the Dallas Cowboys tight end group could be the strongest it has been in years.
Last season, many Cowboys fans expected Blake Jarwin to break out and become a top tier pass catching tight end. That dream ended abruptly when Jarwin was injured on the first drive of the season opener and missed the entire season. This season, the super athletic Jarwin is back and hopefully better than ever. Jarwin’s injury last year was a huge blow to the Cowboys hopes, but there was a bit of a silver (and blue) lining when Dalton Schultz emerged as a capable starter to replace him. Now the Dallas Cowboys will a have a serviceable one-two punch at tight end with both Jarwin and Schultz offering value as pass catchers. Rounding out the Dallas Cowboys tight end depth chart is Sean McKeon. Mckeon is a core special teams contributor and he had looked impressive in training camp and in the pre-season before he suffered a high ankle sprain. The Cowboys were so impressed by him, that they opted to place him on IR which allow him to possibly return as early as week 4 against the Panthers.
The Dallas Cowboys tight end room doesn’t necessarily strike fear unto opposing defences, but they also don’t have a lot of pressure on them. Defences will likely have to focus on stopping Ezekiel Elliott or shutting down the big three wide receiver group of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup. The opportunities for Jarwin and Schultz to exploit the middle of the field should be there for Dak Prescott to take full advantage of.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode