The Dallas Cowboys have bolstered their tight end group by signing veteran Blake Bell today. The free agent played and won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs last season.
Bell was a fourth-round pick of the 49ers in 2015, taken 10 spots ahead of former Cowboys LB Damien Wilson. He spent two years with San Francisco and has bounced around since then between Minnesota, Jacksonville, and Kansas City.
Last year, Blake played in 15 games as Travis Kelce’s backup and was used primarily for blocking purposes. He only had eight catches for 67 yards in the regular season but was in on almost 38% of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps. He had his first and only NFL touchdown in the Chiefs’ playoff victory over the Houston Texans.
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Some experienced depth was a wise addition for this Cowboys’ TE group, and also validates the belief that Blake Jarwin will be the starter in 2020. With Jason Witten headed to Las Vegas, that left Dalton Schultz as the only other TE with any significant playing time.
It’s understandable why Bell chose the Cowboys over the Chiefs. He was never going to be more than second fiddle to Kelce, arguably the best TE in the NFL today.
Dallas presents Bell with a genuine opportunity to increase his NFL profile. While Jarwin was re-signed to be the starter, there is more room for Bell to prove himself and earn greater responsibility than behind a five-time Pro Bowler.
Bell will also bring Dallas some much needed championship experience and a guy willing to do the dirty work on offense. Run blocking will still be critical for the Cowboys with Ezekiel Elliott in the mix.
Welcome to the Dallas Cowboys, Blake Bell!
