Blake Jarwin’s time as the Dallas Cowboys starting tight end came to an abrupt end Sunday night after sustaining an ACL injury in the first half against the Los Angeles Rams. The unfortunate injury has landed him on injured reserve, meaning the Cowboys need someone else to step up in his place.
The Dallas Cowboys have a tough decision on their hands. They pretty much put all their eggs in one basket with Blake Jarwin in the hopes he could adequately replace Jason Witten, but now will have to come up with another plan of attack. Will they stick with status quo or look outside the organization for more TE help?
As far as things stand right now, it looks as if Dalton Schultz and Blake Bell will move up a spot on the Cowboys TE depth chart. Neither have much starting experience and even less production, which is a little concerning to say the least. They do however already have a familiarity with the offense and that gives them at least a little bit of a leg up on any outside options.
The Dallas Cowboys would be wise to leave no stone unturned regardless of how much faith they have in their current TE depth minus Blake Jarwin. They need to explore other options, whether it’s via trade or the current free agent market. They can’t afford to gamble or play favorites right now. The 2020 season could hang in the balance.
If Sunday night was any indication, neither Dalton Schultz or Blake Bell seem to be the answer. Neither player looked ready to answer the call, which means an outside option could be what’s in the best interest of the team for at least the rest of the year. But who?
A trade would probably net the Dallas Cowboys better talent than what they can find on the open market right now. Tampa Bay Buccaneers TEs O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate, Seattle Seahawks TEs Jacob Hollister and Will Dissly, and Cleveland Browns TE David Njoku could all be available. All would probably be upgrades depending on the price.
The current free agent TE market isn’t as promising though. Delanie Walker and Charles Clay highlight the group, but both are still available for a reason. Both are on the wrong side of 30, however, they could still have enough left in the tank to be better options than the Cowboys current TEs. Beyond that, it’s a gamble.
I don’t know what the Dallas Cowboys Plan B is at TE without Blake Jarwin, but if it was me I would make sure I’m exploring every single option possible. Whatever decision they come to could end up determining how much success or failure they have in 2020. Let’s just hope they make the right one.
