The calendar is closer to flipping to June, signaling that the NFL season is closing in. September is still a ways away, but football activities are starting up.
A few drops of water in the barren football landscape is better than none at all. We will take anything NFL-related that we can get and we won’t complain about it.
OTAs (Organized Team Activities) are starting soon, specifically on May 21st through the 23rd for the Dallas Cowboys.
The team has much to prove after the most recent memories are still from a 48-32 thrashing at home in Arlington to the Green Bay Packers in the Wildcard round.
There was no excuse for such a poor performance in a season where the NFC was wide open for the taking. A loss to a first-year starting quarterback of a 7th-seeded team wasn’t anything anyone expected.
With a new season and new team expectations, there are also individual expectations—both from the team and from the players themselves.
One of those players with high expectations is wide receiver turned tight end John Stephens Jr.
Stephens burst onto the scene as an undrafted free agent last year and immediately showed his athleticism and raw traits that could turn him into a star with some coaching.
After a strong training camp and preseason, it appeared Stephens was pushing for a roster spot over incumbents, Peyton Hendershot and Sean McKeon.
Unfortunately, that opportunity was snatched away from him after suffering a torn ACL at practice, the same fate suffered by CB Trevon Diggs just a few weeks later.
Dallascowboys.com journalist Patrik “No C” Walker caught up with TE Coach Lunda Wells and he was gracious enough to share some of his thoughts on Stephens for the upcoming season.
Is Stephens ahead of schedule recovering from injury?
“I think he’s ahead of schedule, physically. He’s been working his behind off with Britt (Brown) all season. And one of the best things that happened for him was God took away his legs to force him to get into the weight room and build that upper body strength.”
Being ahead of schedule from a physical standpoint is great news for both Stephens and the Cowboys. It should come as no surprise under the rehabilitation program that Britt Brown provides; one of the best in the business.
Wells continues:
“If you look at his physical structure right now, he’s built pretty good right now going into Year 2. His biggest attribute is his athleticism and being able to stretch the field vertically.
“He understands route details, how to get in and out of breaks and he’s tough, which gives him the added ability to develop as a blocker for us.”
Hitting the weight room so hard can only do good things for Stephens. He has a larger frame and was a bit on the slimmer side in his first year transitioning from wide receiver to tight end.
His position coach agrees that his best attribute is his athleticism and filling out his frame and getting stronger will put him in better positions in both he running and passing game.
QB Dak Prescott has been called a “seam God” because of his accuracy to his tight ends vertically in the seam.
Standing at 6’5″ tall, Stephens and Prescott can develop an elite chemistry with that route, and it could open up many other options on offense.
And Wells for the final time:
“His skill set in the passing game is gonna be really good for us going forward, and I’m excited to get him back on the grass and get to work.”
After Jake Ferguson, the tight end depth chart doesn’t have anyone else that can stand out as an elite receiver unless Luke Schoonmaker makes an unprecedented jump in development.
Stephens has a golden opportunity to crack the offensive rotation. The coaches believe in him. He just needs to believe in himself.