One of the questions for the Dallas Cowboys coming into this season is who’s going to be the starting tight end?
Jason Witten, who played for 16 seasons in Dallas, left to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders. In doing so, there is a vacancy at the tight end position. A vacancy the team hopes to adequately fill during training camp.
Blake Jarwin, Dalton Shultz, and Blake Bell are all competing for the starting job. Jarwin has been with the Cowboys for three seasons now and has amassed over 50 catches for 672 receiving yards and six touchdowns. Shultz was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft and has spent the last two seasons as a third-stringer.
The competition with Shultz and Jarwin ought to be interesting.
In Shultz’s case, even he’s not named the starter, he’s still likely to have more playing time than before. Shultz has excelled as a pass-blocker, although he hasn’t been too productive in the numbers department. Consequently, he’s going to have to prove himself in training camp to assure he makes the final roster.
As far as Bell is concerned, he’s established himself as a notorious backup journeyman tight end––with Dallas being his fifth team in six years. The former Oklahoma Sooner has seen stops in San Francisco, Minnesota, Jacksonville, and Kansas City––where he won a Super Bowl––before signing in Dallas. His numbers are borderline nonexistent, and it’s far from a guarantee he will be on the 53-man roster for Week 1. However, he’s still a respectable candidate to take over at the starting tight end position.
Who’s the favorite to win the starting job?
The favorite is obviously Jarwin, having played respectably in a backup role the past two seasons.
Since his debut in the league, the 25-year-old has been building, improving, and learning. He’s built up great potential take over the duties of a starting tight end and should be given the first crack in camp.
In Jarwin’s case, his entire career has been about starting from the bottom and working his way up. He was a walk-on at Oklahoma State University and went undrafted in 2017. Since his arrival, he’s honed his craft and he’s ready to take his career to the next level.
With all that he’s achieved in his career, he’s motivated to make the best of his opportunities with the Cowboys. Becoming Witten’s successor would be a major boost to his career.
