Dallas Cowboys are underestimating loss of Jason Witten
By Brad Austin
Legendary tight end Jason Witten retired from the Dallas Cowboys in May. Was adding only a 4th round rookie enough damage control?
Future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten retired from the Dallas Cowboys only days after the 2018 draft. Though the team was aware before selecting new players.
Witten saw a natural decline over the twilight seasons of a stellar 15-year career. 63 catches, 560 yards, and five scores was still worthy production in his final stand.
To amplify the loss, second tight end James Hanna also retired this offseason. Geoff Swaim returns the only production (two catches) from 2017. No other tight end on the roster has an NFL regular season reception.
With a group of unproven targets, Dallas only invested a 4th round pick on TE help. It’s easy to wonder if they undervalued losing the position’s two best receivers.
Dalton Schultz was the 10th tight end off the draft board due to mild receiving numbers. Over 33 games he recorded 55 catches, 555 yards, and five touchdowns.
Stanford wasn’t an ideal situation to display his receiving potential. It’s fine to expect good things from Schultz, but early production demands should be tempered.
Looking forward requires a glance back at the Cowboys history with the TE position. Things didn’t go so well the last time they tried to replace a departing Pro Bowler.