Dallas Cowboys: Three Breakout Candidates in 2020

The Dallas Cowboys are heading into the season with some new pieces, old pieces in new places, and old pieces poised to breakout.

If we look at the possible breakout candidates for the Dallas Cowboys this season we see three players stand out above the rest. We won’t include the rookies, nor will we include free agent grabs. We could look at Randy Gregory and Aldon Smith as possibilities (as long as Randy is reinstated), but let’s look at three guys who have been here and are ready to take the next step.

The first breakout candidate is tight end Blake Jarwin. Jarwin steps in as the number one tight end after the departure of Jason Witten. When given opportunities the last two seasons, Jarwin has shown that he has the ability to be the top tight end. In the two seasons Jarwin has been targeted 77 times, has averaged 11.6 yards per catch, and 6 touchdowns. With a slightly above 75% catch percentage and about a third of his yards coming after the catch, Jarwin is poised to breakout.

The knock on Jarwin has been his blocking (at least by the former coaching staff). He has actually held up fairly well when given chances and with a full offseason as the starter, Jarwin is set for a fairly big year. He should see more chances up the seams and in the red zone that he has prior and could put up fairly strong numbers. Even if Dalton Schultz takes some snaps, nothing gives the indication that Jarwin won’t have a really good year.

The next guy to potentially have a breakout year is Tony Pollard. Pollard may not be the breakout that Jarwin will be, but Pollard has the chance to play a strong role in the passing game and in relief of Ezekiel Elliott. Pollard has shown the ability to make people miss and gain yards. If used to spell Elliott later in games and given opportunity to catch passes in space could be the perfect compliment to Elliott.

Pollard may not be able to be a bell-cow running back, but he certainly has the ability to play a bigger part in the offense than he did under Jason Garrett. The ability to put him on the field with Elliott is also a possibility and his ability to create in space makes him a nightmare matchup against linebackers. It may not be pro-bowl level breakout, but he could be a much larger part than many expect.