Dallas Cowboys: 5 Things to build on from crucial win vs. Eagles
By Randy Gurzi
4. Jarwin as a receiving threat
Entering the 2018 season, Dallas was hyping up the pass-catching abilities of Blake Jarwin. A former undrafted product from Oklahoma State, Jarwin had some big shoes to fill as Jason Witten had just hung up his cleats to call games for ESPN on Monday Night Football.
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However, the Jarwin hype train was derailed early on. He and Dak Prescott struggled to get on the same page and he had just 20 receptions for 188 yards and no touchdowns entering Week 17. Then, he broke out with 7 catches for 119 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s 36-35 win over the New York Giants.
This season, they hoped to get even more out of Jarwin but that plan also went off the rails some as Witten decided to return to the field. With the team’s best tight end of all-time starting, Jarwin has been relegated to a backup role but he still can be impactful — in fact, he scored the first touchdown of the season for Dallas, pulling down a 28-yard touchdown pass against the Giants.
He then got quiet, until this weekend. Jarwin resurfaced in the Sunday Night Football win as he brought in his lone target for a one-yard score. Sure, he was wide-open, but it’s just a reminder of what can happen when a pass-catching tight end is on the field.
Witten is still an effective player, and he had 33 yards on four receptions while proving to be huge in setting up Brett Maher‘s 63-yard field goal before the half. But that doesn’t mean they can’t use Jarwin as well, and they need to remember that.