We can all hope Dalton Schultz will be around even if he does not sign a deal by Friday, but we know he is the TE1 on the Cowboys roster next year.
The Cowboys lost Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson, we all know that. With the 12 personnel, you can feature a nice mix of runs and pass while doing them effectively. That might be something Dallas could feature next season some more to help maintain the offense they had just a year ago.
If Sean McKeon does not take the TE2 spot, I hope we see A LOT of Jake Ferguson next season. I think Dallas should find a way to scheme some run packages together. Ferguson was drafted out of Wisconsin, Ferguson came from a team that enjoyed running the football.
Ferguson was a factor in the Badger offense all four seasons, catching 145 passes for 1,168 yards and 13 touchdowns in his college career. Last season, he caught 46 passes for 450 yards and three touchdowns, earning First-team All-Big Ten honors.
When opposing teams see a 12 personnel group, many think the chances are pretty great to run the football. So I would be all for Kellen Moore using this to their advantage next season.
Let's hope one of the tight ends can get matched up against a slower linebacker. One should take advantage if they get the green light.
Let's not forget the duo of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott. Teams have to focus on them before anyone in this personnel. The hope would be for the defense to focus much of their attention on them, opening up others for big plays. They could mess around with Pollard and Elliott, the roles they would play when lined up in this set.
The advantages of this type of set are better blocking on runs that may help the offensive line, MANY receiving options, and the ability to move everyone around to one side of the ball and keep the defense guessing.
Dallas has the backfield to run this very effectively. Pollard could be a dual-threat. Teams would have to focus on him running and catching the football. Elliott can block and be very effective at doing it. I would be all in for the Cowboys trying to add more of this to the game plan often.
