As impressive as the Dallas Cowboys win over the New Orleans Saints was, this is no time for them to get complacent. They still have several areas in which they can improve, which is why I think they should consider adding Free Agent Coby Fleener to help stabilize and upgrade the tight end position.
The Dallas Cowboys chose to approach the tight end position much like they did at wide receiver at the beginning of the season. They hoped they could just throw some bodies out there and still get the same kind of production, but that the experiment has failed.
The Cowboys were lucky enough to be up to make a move to improve the WR position by acquiring Amari Cooper via trade, and it's that kind of aggressive approach I believe they now need to apply to the TE position. That's especially true considering Geoff Swaim could be done for the year after sustaining a broken wrist, which required surgery, against the Atlanta Falcons a couple weeks ago.
With Swaim out for an undisclosed amount of time, the Cowboys TE position is in dire straits if they have to rely on the inexperience of Blake Jarwin, Rico Gathers, and Dalton Schultz. None of the three are close to being the blocker or receiver Swaim is, and that alone should raise a red flag.
Swaim's injury and the inexperience behind him on the TE depth chart has forced the Cowboys to turn to Wide Receiver Noah Brown as a “Light End” as my fellow Staff Writer John Williams has so eloquently entitled him. I'm a big fan of Brown's, but a tight end he is not.
I think it's time the Cowboys make another bold move, much like they did by acquiring Amari Cooper and give Coby Fleener a call. At 30 years old, he should still have a few more years of tread left on the tires and would provide a really good short-term solution while the position sorts itself out.
He hasn't played at all in 2018 after being released by the Saints, but he didn't have a terrible 2017 season before it was cut short due to concussion problems. Last year he delivered 631 yards receiving and three touchdowns with a catch percentage of 73.3%, which is production the Cowboys would love to be getting from their tight ends.
Fleener could come in and not only mentor the youth movement, but also provide more-than-viable production for the remainder of the 2018 season and potentially 2019 as well. He's not going to cost a lot and would be that “transitional” veteran presence while the Cowboys figure out the long-term solution. Sounds like a win-win to me.
I don't know if the Dallas Cowboys will agree, but this seems like a no-brainer to me. There is still a lot on the line these next few games and adding someone who is not only cost-effective, but an upgrade like Coby Fleener could pay dividends down the road.
Now is not the time for complacency. The Cowboys must do everything within their power to keep improving and I believe adding Coby Fleener is a great start.
