Dallas Cowboys breakout player No. 4: Blake Jarwin, Tight End
2020 was supposed to be his year to break out, but life had different plans for Blake Jarwin.
A former undrafted free agent from Oklahoma State, Jarwin started to come into his own late in the 2019 season and was slated to be the No. 1 tight end after Jason Witten left for the second time. With no rookie draft picks coming in, and the only free-agent addition being Blake Bell, Jarwin was ready for a much bigger role.
Dallas believed he was too, giving him a three-year $24.5 million extension following his season that had all career highs in receptions (31), yards (365), and touchdowns (3-tied with 2018). Unfortunately, he managed to haul in just one pass before suffering a torn ACL in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams.
With Jarwin out, Dalton Schultz ended up being the breakout star, registering 615 yards and four touchdowns on 63 receptions. Now with both players back for the 2021 season, Jarwin has some competition on his hands.
And while Schultz will surely get his share of the targets, Jarwin is the more explosive option. And with how much attention will be paid to Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup, having another guy with the athleticism that Jarwin possesses could lead to some big things in this offense.