Fans of the Dallas Cowboys are rightly concerned about the tight end position following Jason Witten's retirement. The bar is very high, and the unproven guys remaining on the roster have barely played.
That reality has led to some pretty bold statements, mostly the likes of:
“This is the worst TE group in the NFL!”
“You can't win with these guys.”
“This season's going to suck!”
True, the current tight ends of the roster haven't shown much in the league. They have nine career catches between them, and those all belong to Geoff Swaim.
But assuming that these players won't be able to perform is just that; an assumption. We haven't seen anything that says these guys can or can't play yet.
One of the few negatives about Jason Witten's time in Dallas is that he buried anyone else on the TE dept chart. Even second-round picks like Martellus Bennett and Gavin Escobar couldn't get the reps needed to make an impact. Jason never left the field.
Geoff Swaim has been stuck behind Witten and some other players for three years, only now getting a chance to really what he has. And no, I don't blame you for being dubious about a former seventh-round pick filling the shoes of a future Hall-of-Famer.
But Swaim isn't like a Terrance Williams or Brice Butler at receiver, who've had opportunities and didn't produce. He's only been targeted 11 times in his NFL career, producing nine catches and 94 yards.
We know what Williams is and what he isn't. He's proven that he can't step into a larger role when WR1 is struggling or injured. Nobody is looking at Dez Bryant's departure as an opportunity for Terrance to shine, because we've already seen that he doesn't have that level to his game.
None of our tight ends have had that opportunity. Blake Jarwin has played in one NFL game, Rico Gathers has lived on the practice squad and injured reserve, and Dalton Schultz is a rookie.
You don't know if you have a diamonds in the rough until you've given them a closer look. They can't shine if they're still buried.
I understand the concern, of course. We're asking a lot of a group that has no Day 1 or 2 draft picks among them, especially considering the standard that Jason Witten set for 15 seasons.
Nobody expects one of these four players to eventually join Witten in Canton. But there's a huge difference between that and being good enough to allow the Cowboys to compete.
Remember, Jason's been in his twilight years for a while. He wasn't playing at his legendary level in 2016, when the Cowboys went 13-3 and were a ridiculous Aaron Rodgers throw away from the NFC Championship Game.
What Dallas needs this year is a guy who can block well for Ezekiel Elliott and capitalize on passing game opportunities when they come. We already know that Geoff Swaim is a good blocker, and he's been efficient the few times he's been thrown to in the passing game.
The question isn't if Swaim will ever be a star, but just is he a guy you can win with?
We don't know, and that's really the point here. Assuming this group will be “the worst” in the NFL is foolish.
Cowboys fans enjoyed a decade of an undrafted quarterback from Eastern Illinois being one of the best in the NFL. Nobody's story is written by where they were drafted, but rather what they do when they finally get to play.
Yes, it's risky to go into the season with such an unproven group at tight end. But if these guys surprise us, then that means they'll also surprise opposing defenses.
The Cowboys offense hasn't surprised anyone in a while. If this group can provide an unexpected spark, it could be far more effective than you think.
