Cowboys: Could this draft prospect be the missing piece for the offense?

The Dallas Cowboys will be exploring various draft day options in their quest to reignite the passing game. Could tight end Dallas Goedert be right man for the job?

The Dallas Cowboys saw their passing attack suffer late in the 2017 season. Some can be attributed to injuries to the offensive line while some to accuracy issues and regression from the quarterback. Some blame inadequate play at receiver, and as per Brice Butler, some blame falls on a coaching staff for typecasting receivers and making them run predictable routes.

Whatever camp you fall in, it’s safe to say everyone in Cowboys Nation feels the need to fix the passing game. And adding a big-time weapon like tight end Dallas Goedert might provide that instant fix.

Known by many as “the next Gronk” (as in Rob Gronkowski), Dallas Goedert is a pure pass-catcher who’s a matchup nightmare in same vein as the infamous New England tight end. Playing at tiny South Dakota State, the 6’4” 255lbs playmaker flew under the radar of some. But to many scouts, he’s a player they’ve been tracking for quite some time.

Dallas Goedert, tastefully named after his father’s favorite football team, exploded onto the scene as a junior when he pulled in 92 balls for 1,293 yards and 11 touchdowns. It was after that 2016 performance that many draft experts already started proclaiming him as the best tight end in the 2018 draft.

With all of the national attention (as well as defensive coordinator attention) facing him, it was going to be interesting to see how the small school product would respond in his senior season. Dallas responded well, catching 72 balls for 1,111 yards and seven touchdowns – many times beating double and even triple coverage.

The Cowboys

With Jason Witten entering the winter of his career, the Dallas Cowboys are finally feeling the need to address the tight end position earlier, rather than later, in the draft. Witten may still be playing well at age 35, but he’s essentially playing on year-to-year basis, meaning he could retire at any time. With no proven talent on the roster behind him, he could leave the tight end corps in a pretty troubling situation one day.

Being proactive and grabbing a player like Dallas Goedert this season, would make that impending retirement less painful, and make the Cowboys passing attack quite formidable.

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Dak Prescott

We saw first-hand how much Tony Romo benefited by having a dominant tight end to work with throughout his career.

The Dallas Cowboys would be wise to extend Dak Prescott the same courtesy.

As with most young quarterbacks, Dak Prescott prefers to operate between the hashmarks rather than outside them. This makes tight ends and slot receivers even more valuable than they already are.

 Is Goedert the right man for the job?

Without a pressing need at tight end this season (at least not in a passing catching capacity), the question is – is Dallas Goedert the right man for the job? He’s going to likely cost a first round draft pick and if he really is “the next Gronk”, then that would be a small price to pay. But what are the chances a kid from South Dakota State is anything like Gronk?

The good news is that Goedert has played his best when he faces the best. He doesn’t just pile up stats on poor team and disappear against the better ones. For instance, in 2016, Goedert caught 5 balls for 96 yards and one touchdown against TCU.

The Senior Bowl would have been an excellent opportunity for Dallas Goedert to prove his critics wrong and legitimize his status a first round pick and future TE1. It would have finally pitted him against NFL-caliber talent showing his questionable blocking skills. Sadly, Dallas was injured early in the week and unable to participate in Senior Bowl activities.

Next: How soon is too soon to draft an offensive linemen?

If Dallas Goedert proves to be the next Gronk, he’ll unquestionably launch the Cowboys passing attack to the next level. But if he’s nothing more than an average TE1 with subpar blocking ability, he could be a colossal waste of a first round pick.