The countdown until Wide Receiver Amari Cooper’s highly anticipated Dallas Cowboys debut is on, but the Cowboys have also started the clock for a decision on second year WR Noah Brown. Returning to practice from his hamstring injury on Thursday, the Cowboys have until November 22nd to decide if Brown comes off injured reserve and joins the active roster.
The Cowboys would be smart to ease Brown into his first practices since training camp. Depending on his health though, Brown may have to be given the same treatment that Cooper is receiving, hardly easing his way into the Cowboys offense.
Cowboys WR Noah Brown (hamstring) also started practicing today. He's been on IR all season. The Cowboys have a 21-day window now before they have to make a decision on moving him to the active roster.
— Brandon George (@DMN_George) November 1, 2018
As the Cowboys are getting healthier at wide receiver, their depth at tight end is depleting. Geoff Swaim has not practiced this week, leaving even further unproven options at his position. Blake Jarwin and Rico Gathers would be the Cowboys next options at TE, followed by rookie Dalton Schultz who played a career high 19 snaps two weeks ago at the Redskins.
It was only the second game that Schultz has appeared in this season, playing two snaps at the Panthers all the way back in week one.
What Gathers and Jarwin lack as blockers, Brown brings to the Cowboys out wide as a former teammate of Ezekiel Elliott at Ohio State. It was Elliott that got his wish when the Cowboys used their last pick of the 2017 Draft on Brown, and still Elliott that the Cowboys must lean on to climb back in the NFC East race.
The Cowboys fired offensive line coach Paul Alexander during their bye week, allowing Marc Colombo to step into a bigger role. In this role, Colombo sees room for improvement in the Cowboys blocking, which should extend into first-year TE Coach Doug Nussmeier’s room.
Cowboys new offensive line coach, Marc Colombo:
"We're going to bring some violence and nasty to the game."
"The sky's the limit for us. Right now, I think we are third in the league in rushing and I don't think we've blocked particularly well." pic.twitter.com/lkRSH0OBFc
— Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) November 2, 2018
Brown could be a welcome addition to the Cowboys lineup at TE, knowing he must do anything he can to get on the field. With Cooper, Cole Beasley, and Michael Gallup expected to earn the majority of snaps at wide receiver, finding snaps for the less-dynamic Brown is a difficult task for Scott Linehan.
Allowing Brown to play to his best strength, as Linehan is tasked to do with Cooper and the rest of his offense, is much easier.
Brown is listed at 225 pounds on the Cowboys official roster, nearly 20 pounds below the “smallest” TE in Schultz. Asking Brown to block a defensive end on his own in protection of Dak Prescott has Chaz Green in Atlanta written all over it. Keeping an open mind towards improving at WR and TE after the bye week by maximizing the team’s depth is something the Cowboys need to consider as they monitor Brown ahead of the deadline to play him this season though.
That deadline will come on Thanksgiving, when the Cowboys host the Redskins with plenty of division implications potentially on the line. Whether or not we see Brown before then, as a backup receiver that appeared in 13 games as a rookie, never playing more than 40% of the team’s snaps on offense, or in a new position will be determined as soon as Monday night against the Titans.
The Cowboys were challenged to be better on offense this season without former staples in Dez Bryant and Jason Witten. A flashy trade to address the TE position is unlikely compared to what the Cowboys sent away to acquire their new top receiver. Internal options do exist for the Cowboys to at least be functional at tight end in the running game while expecting a much improved passing attack going forward.
Noah Brown deserves to prove what he can do in both areas.
Imho I think Rico can do the just give him the opportunity
I don’t think Brown “deserves” anything, I think the Offense NEEDS to duck tape in-season fix a horrible off-season strategy of putting together a patchwork WR by committee with an unproven RAW TE group. Sprinkle in under-performing blocking by Tyrone Smith and La’el collins, Looney stepping in at center and a rookie at Left guard and a massively disappointing Dak prescott, and this is what we are left with
Actually Looney has been playing great so far
It’s all about these coaches they are not very good or creative and they never take chances for us to win games. Garrett should be fired after this season regardless if they make playoffs or not
brown should try to help the WR’s not TE’s. dump thompson and use noah. we drafted a TE from Stanford didn’t we?! why not use the guy? we are the only team in the league that drafts players in later rounds and never uses them, our excuse is they are not ready. we gosh darn if you don’t give them any playing time how can they get ready?! pathetic!!
play dalton and rico at TE, dump jarwin. force them to get better, or better yet coach them….there is a brilliant idea.
@ethanchazin – i think the mess that was paul alexander has the line playing the way they have been, trying to teach new fundamentals to veterans like these guys was a huge mistake, just a horrible move by this HC. i think marc columbo and HH will make this better. and yes dak is a disappointment to this point.