The Dallas Cowboys signed free agent Fullback Ryan Yurachek yesterday, who spent last year on the Oakland Raiders’ practice squad. It could an easy to move to ignore, but Yurachek’s game speaks to how the fullback position may be changing as a whole in the Cowboys offense under Kellen Moore.
To stay under the 90-man offseason roster limit, Dallas waived linebacker Justin Phillips.
Yurachek was a prolific pass-catcher as a tight end at Marshall. He had 10 touchdowns his senior year, which was one short of the NCAA Division I leaders for tight ends in 2017. Ryan was also named the team’s offensive captain as a senior. Over his four years with The Herd, Yuracheck had 143 catches for 1,354 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Listed at just 6’1″, Yurachek converted to fullback to attempt an NFL career. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Green Bay Packers but was released later that month. The Raiders signed him and kept him on the practice squad through the 2018 season. Oakland released Ryan last month after his had to have his knee scoped.
It’s Yuracheck’s background as a TE, especially with those receiving numbers, which intrigues me. It makes me think, and hope, that the Cowboys are going to start looking for more creative ways to utilize their fullbacks.
Before he joined the Cowboys last year, Jamize Olawale had seasons in Oakland where he got around 30 touches. Last year, Olawale had zero carries and was targeted just four times for two catches in the passing game.
That usage is consistent with how former Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan saw fullbacks throughout his tenure in Dallas. We had Keith Smith as a pure blocker, and before him it was Tyler Clutts. From 2014-2019, Cowboys fullbacks have had just 12 total receptions and even fewer rushing attempts.
I know the FB is a dying breed in the modern NFL, but that’s also what we thought about run-first offenses for a while. The Cowboys, Seahawks, and some other teams have proven that so-called “old school” approaches still work, and in no small part because modern defenses are more focused on stopping the pass.
The biggest complaint about Linehan’s system was its predictability. We’re all hoping that new OC Kellen Moore will bring a more dynamic style, and a big part of that could be better utilizing players with versatile skills.
Even if Ryan Yurachek is just here as a camp body to take some work off of the veteran Olawale, his arrival could be a sign that the Cowboys are looking to get more out of their fullbacks in the receiving game. Even if they remain a low-volume part of the offense, as they should, anything that keeps opposing linebackers and safeties guessing is a positive.
