The Dallas Cowboys don’t need a run-blocking TE to replace Jason Witten

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 05: Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 05: Jason Witten #82 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The day of the run-blocking tight end has largely passed and finding a TE with that trait is no longer necessary for a team like the Dallas Cowboys

The writing appears to be on the wall for Jason Witten. After stating his intention  to return for a 17th season, the Dallas Cowboys did their version of, “ahhh, about that….ummm…..I think my mom’s calling me. Gotta go (although Jerry Jones recently paid him some lip-service)!”

Without Witten, the Dallas Cowboys are without a “complete” tight end capable of doing it all. TE2 Blake Jarwin is the lanky downfield threat but he’s a below-average blocker. TE3 Dalton Schultz grades nicely as a blocker (Pro Football Focus rated him as the best tight end blocker on the team – by a pretty wide margin), but he’s not much of receiving threat.

Deductive reasoning tells us the Dallas Cowboys will be looking for a tight end with a well-rounded skill set in the draft. Someone who is capable of blocking and receiving equally. You know, someone like Witt. But that may not be the way the Cowboys want to go…

Times are always changing in the NFL and the evolution of the tight end position is no exception. The days of the complete tight end is largely behind us and the day of the downfield threat is upon us. As the league moves to being more pass-happy than ever before, long lean tight ends capable of making plays downfield and adding yards after the catch are an important asset.

Let’s look around the league, shall we? Which tight ends are known for their run-blocking ability?

George Kittle certainly comes to mind. He’s one of the best blocking tight ends we’ve seen in years. The fact that he’s such a great threat downfield only adds to his specialness. But is he the exception to the rule?

Run blocking isn’t as important as it used to be and if Dallas really wants to improve on offense, they should focus on adding another pass-catcher, not another run-blocker.

Looking back at PFF’s grading we see that Dalton Schultz, Dallas’ highest graded tight end blocker, scored a respectable 71.9 in run-blocking. Comparing his run-blocking score to the rest of the NFL, only three tight ends, in PFF’s top-32 tight ends of 2019, scored better (Kittle, Dallas Goedert, and Maxx Williams).

It’s not like Dalton Schultz was that fantastic at run-blocking either. It’s just a trait that isn’t very prevalent in the NFL these days.

In this Golden Age of Play Tracking we can review every single play from the recent past and draw fact-based conclusions. We know rushing success is more dependent on the number of men in the box than it is with just about anything else.

Bringing in an extra run-blocker usually means the defense brings another run-stopper into the box. That’s bad. Lighter personnel packages often spread out defenses which leads to less total players in the box. That’s good. Even when the offense has enough hats to cover every defender – extra men in the box typically means the less fruitful the run.

More from Cowboys Draft

What does this have to do with tight ends?

It means having move tight ends who are downfield threats are just as helpful to the running game (and maybe MORE helpful) than a strong run blocking tight end is. Obviously if all things are equal, it’s better to have a tight end who can run-block than one who cannot. But not if it comes at the cost of getting a tight end with receiving ability.

Do you love the passing game? Great! You want the Dallas Cowboys to add a pass-catching TE. Do you love the running game? Fine. You also want a tight end who’s a pass-catcher.

Related Story. 5-Free Agent TEs to replace Jason Witten. light

The Cowboys are being haunted by last offseason's poor decisions. dark. Next

Just because Jason Witten may be leaving doesn’t mean the Dallas Cowboys are looking for his clone to replace him. Run blocking isn’t as important as it used to be and if Dallas really wants to improve on offense, they should focus on adding another pass-catcher, not run-blocker.

  • Published on 02/28/2020 at 12:01 PM
  • Last updated at 02/28/2020 at 14:16 PM