Dallas Cowboys: Allen Hurns is the wildcard of the offense
Signed as a free agent this offseason, expectations are high for new Dallas Cowboys wideout Allen Hurns, who can transform the offense.
After parting ways with longtime star wideout Dez Bryant this offseason, for the first time in seven years, the Dallas Cowboys looked to a new man to headline their receiving core.
Dallas turned to Allen Hurns, a four year pro with the Jacksonville Jaguars, to fill the void left by Dez.
Hurns has had an up and down career in the NFL to this point but has shown many flashes of the ability he has to be a big-time wide receiver at the NFL level.
After going undrafted in the 2014 NFL Draft, Hurns signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars, just hoping to grab a spot even on the practice squad.
After making the team out of training camp, Hurns burst onto the scene in his NFL debut, catching four passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns. He finished his rookie year with 51 catches for 677 yards and six touchdowns, extremely impressive numbers for an underrated free agent.
In 2015, his second season in the NFL, Hurns had the best year of his career to date. He caught 64 passes for 1031 yards and ten touchdowns, averaging 16.1 yards per catch, which shows his big play ability.
Hurns was helped a lot this season by the production of his quarterback in Jacksonville Blake Bortles, who had his best pro season that year, throwing for over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdown passes.
After getting signed to a four-year extension in the 2016 offseason, the next two years were plagued by injuries for Hurns. The wideout was only able to appear in 11 games in 2016, and then just 10 games in 2017.
With his lack of availability, his numbers decreased greatly, and in his final two years in Jacksonville combined, Hurns did not record as many receiving yards or touchdowns he did in his breakout 2015 season.
From the Dallas Cowboys stance, Allen Hurns made perfect sense as a replacement for Dez Bryant. Hurns and Bryant have the same style of play and are big, physical receivers who can go up and get the football.
If you turn on some Allen Hurn’s highlight tapes while watching some plays you will think to yourself, man that looks like a young Dez. I mean the two even share the same number 88.
The potential is clearly there, and if the 26-year-old wideout is able to produce the way he did in 2015, it could be a game-changer for the Cowboys offense.
For Hurns, a big key could be having a viable quarterback to get him the football, shown by his production when Blake Bortles was on his game.
Dak Prescott will be an upgrade in the passing game getting Hurns the football, and it may be able to take him back to his 2015 big time receiver form.
Regardless of who is throwing him the football, the biggest key for Hurns is his health. When he has been available, he has been productive, but in the past two years, the wideout has not been able to be counted on to be on the field.
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Allen Hurns is the biggest wildcard for the Dallas Cowboys offense in 2018. If the first year Cowboy can stay healthy and on the field, finding his 2015 grove, it will be a game changer for the Dallas offense.
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