Dallas Cowboys: Camp going great – except for this position

Things have gotten off to a great start for the Dallas Cowboys here in training camp – all except for this one position group…

When the Dallas Cowboys first met a couple of weeks ago in Oxnard, we didn’t know what to expect. Sure, Cowboys Nation hoped for the best, but with so many questions needing to be answered in such a short period of time, we collectively expected to be left dangling for some time.

But much to our surprise, the Dallas Cowboys answered nearly all of those questions. In fact, it’s been mostly good news.

Can the running game regain its dominance? Can a committee of receivers be an improvement over last year? Is the offensive line fixed? Did linebacker improve? Did the secondary take the next step? Is the defensive line a strength? Is Tavon more than a gadget guy? Is Dak the man?

Surprisingly, we say with a certain degree of confidence, these questions have all been answered in the affirmative. But one question still haunts us – the questions concerning tight end.

Tight End

When 15-year vet, Jason Witten, retired suddenly late in April, we figured the tight end position would suffer. For a decade and a half, Witt has locked the TE1 spot down. Behind him has been a revolving door of respectable talent. But No. 82 was the rock upon the position unit was built.

When a fixture like Witten leaves, teams generally adapt one of three ways:

1. Promote TE2 to TE1
2. Find a replacement in free agency
3. Find an heir in the draft

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t do any of these. Since James Hanna, the longtime TE2, retired in April as well, option #1 wasn’t a possibility. Since free agency had essentially dried up by the time Witten retired, that wasn’t much of an option either. And since the Dallas Cowboys had other (arguably greater) pressing needs in the draft, tight end wasn’t addressed until late in the fourth round (not the area of the draft where you find Day 1 starters).

With all of this considered, it shouldn’t be too much of surprise tight end is the most concerning position mid-way through our time in Oxnard.

In training camp, tight end has been underwhelming to say the least. Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz, and Rico Gathers have been tasked with forming a respectable unit on a team with postseason aspirations. But none of these players have done much to excite.

Geoff Swaim

Swaim, a career TE3 has the leg-up on the starting spot. He lacks athletic upside and functional strength but he’s smart and knows where to be on any given play. Ideally, he’s a fringe TE2-TE3 on contending team.

Blake Jarwin

Blake appears to be a receiving mismatch. He’s fun to watch and can used as a receiver a variety of different ways. Sadly, he seems to be a total liability as a blocker.

Dalton Schultz

Schultz, arguably the most well-rounded of all Dallas tight ends, doesn’t appear to be proficient in any one area. He’s too green and too weak to really be trusted on game day. He’ll probably be useful some day, but this season?

Rico Gathers

We were primed for great things from Rico this season but thus far, we’re left wanting. Rico has been slow in and out of cuts. We know he can win one-on-one match-ups and jump balls but we don’t know if he knows how to read a defense and run the correct route based on that read. It certainly doesn’t help he stinks at blocking.

At the end of the day, the Dallas Cowboys are in desperate need of a frontline starter. All of these options would be fine if they were depth. But no one makes you feel good about the TE1 spot. Functional blocking strength seems to be an issue across the board and consequently, none of them look like players you run the ball behind.

The good news is what I explained before the draft. Catch up here because it remains true to this day:

Training camp is going swimmingly for the Dallas Cowboys right now. Nearly every position unit has impressed. But tight end remains a disappointment and a cause for concern this coming season if someone doesn’t step up and establish himself as a viable TE1.

• Published on 08/08/2018 at 12:01 PM
• Last updated at 08/08/2018 at 13:53 PM