Machota: Cowboys positional review - Is this the year TE Blake Jarwin sees a larger role?

Cotton

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By Jon Machota Mar 11, 2020

With the start of NFL free agency less than a week away and next month’s draft quickly approaching, we’re taking a look at the Cowboys roster to see where it has depth and where it will need help in the near future.

Part 4 of this 9-part series focuses on the tight end position.

How the tight ends performed in 2019:

After spending a year in the Monday Night Football TV booth, Jason Witten returned to being the Cowboys’ most productive tight end last season. His statistics in 2019 were very similar to the ones he posted in 2017.

Witten at age 37: 83 targets, 63 receptions, 529 yards, four touchdowns.

Witten at age 35: 87 targets, 63 receptions, 560 yards, five touchdowns.

There was, however, one noticeable difference between the two seasons for Witten. In 2017, he led all NFL tight ends in offensive snaps with 1,050, according to Football Outsiders. In 2019, that number dropped to 851. That was still only topped at the position by Kansas City’s Travis Kelce (981), Philadelphia’s Zach Ertz (953) and Oakland’s Darren Waller (940).

Blake Jarwin, the Cowboys’ No. 2 tight end, ranked 47th on that list with 436 offensive snaps in 16 games last year. To break it down further, Witten was on the field for 75 percent of Dallas’ offensive snaps. Jarwin was on the field for 39 percent. His stats were similar to the ones he posted the previous year when Witten wasn’t on the roster.

Jarwin in 2019: 16 games, 41 targets, 31 receptions, 365 yards and three touchdowns.

Jarwin in 2018: 16 games, 36 targets, 27 receptions, 307 yards and three touchdowns.

In 2018, Jarwin finished second on the roster in offensive tight end snaps with 387. Geoff Swaim led the group with 512.

Dalton Schultz was the only other tight end to play an offensive snap for the Cowboys last season. He finished with one reception for six yards in 118 snaps.

The future:

Witten is the biggest question mark at the position entering free agency. He’s an unrestricted free agent looking to play a 17th NFL season. He has said he will do that with another team if the Cowboys choose not to re-sign him. Witten met with new head coach Mike McCarthy in January, but there hasn’t been any movement since.

Jerry Jones said a couple of weeks ago that he wants Witten to remain a Cowboy.

“I feel strongly he wants to play, and I think he can play,” Jones said from the NFL combine. “I would hope that he would not ever be anything but a Cowboy. It’s meaningful. He’s in the tops right there. I do think he can play. As I sit here right now, I think he can make a real contribution to the Cowboys.”

But Jones then added that it’s up to McCarthy and how Witten feels about how he will be utilized, likely meaning a reduced role.

Would Witten be fine with Jarwin, or another tight end, getting as many or more snaps than him? That decision could come down to what’s available for Witten on the open market. How many teams will be offering significant playing time to the 38-year-old? Many have connected the dots to a potential reunion with Jason Garrett, now the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants. But the Giants also already have Evan Engram, a first-round pick in 2017 who has 153 catches for 1,766 yards and 12 touchdowns in 34 games over the last three seasons.

“I feel like I still have something to give,” Witten said last month. “I think I have to be (open to playing for another team). Obviously that’s not ideal. I would love to finish it out here, but some of those things are not in your control … It’s a good young group of tight ends. I think I can help them in a lot of ways.”

How things could change this offseason:

If the Cowboys decide it’s in their best interest to not re-sign Witten, the 25-year-old Jarwin is the obvious choice to become the team’s No. 1 tight end. Jarwin is a restricted free agent, but Dallas is expected to keep him. Schultz, 23, would continue to be in the mix as well, especially on special teams. He’s under contract for two more seasons.

If Witten is no longer on the roster, the Cowboys will need to add another player in free agency or the draft.

Some free agency options could include Tyler Eifert, Marcedes Lewis or Richard Rodgers. I outlined in this free agency preview why each of the three would make some sense in Dallas.

In regards to the draft, it’s unlikely that the Cowboys would spend a premium pick on the position with all of the holes they need to fill on defense. Some potential mid-to-late round options could include Dayton’s Adam Trautman (6-5, 255) or UCLA’s Devin Asiasi (6-3, 257).

Trautman gained some attention for a good week at the Senior Bowl. Over the last two seasons, he caught 111 passes for 1,520 yards and 23 touchdowns. Asiasi, a top-100 national recruit coming out of high school, is an athletic pass-catcher who finished with 44 receptions, 641 yards and four touchdowns last season.

If Dallas didn’t have so many defensive needs, targeting Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet in the second round would make sense. Most consider Kmet (6-6, 262) the top tight end in this class, projected to come off the board around where the Cowboys pick in Round 2.
 

p1_

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How can the answer to the question be 'no' ?
 
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