Dallas Cowboys: 3 Early free agent targets for 2019
By Randy Gurzi
2. Tyler Eifert, Tight End, Cincinnati Bengals
This season, the Dallas Cowboys turned the page from one of the best tight ends to ever play the game. Jason Witten hung up his cleats and decided to take a job with ESPN calling Monday Night Football games. With him no longer on the field, they turned to a committee led by Geoff Swaim and Blake Jarwin.
Later in the season — after an injury suffered by Swaim — rookie Dalton Schultz started to get his chance as well. While both he and Jarwin showed plenty of promise, the Cowboys would be wise to invest in a legitimate starter.
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Names in the draft like T.J. Hockenson from Iowa and Irv Smith, Jr. from Alabama raise eyebrows, but there’s no guarantee they can land either. That means it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to look in free agency.
Should they try this approach, there’s a big name to be had in Tyler Eifert. The Cincinnati Bengals tight end is one of the better talents in the game at his position, but he doesn’t come without risk.
Eifert has never played a full 16-game schedule and has just 14 games played the past three seasons. While that seems like a reason to pass, it could actually be what makes him attainable in Big D. Eifert would most likely be looking for a one-year deal to prove himself. Dallas can offer him that, and should he come in on only a one-year contract, it also wouldn’t prevent them from adding a rookie like Hockenson or Smith.
It’s a high-risk move to go for someone like Eifert, but it could also offer a significant reward should he overcome his health concerns.