Witten has been OK in return, but Dallas Cowboys standing in way of Jarwin’s progress
Jason Witten is the last player from the Dallas Cowboys who played under Bill Parcells, and he is all too familiar with the Billism that “you never want to get in the way of progress.”
Jason Witten is not exactly standing in the way of progress, but he is in the way of Blake Jarwin.
The ageless tight end is indeed aging, and it’s not going quite gracefully. One of the reasons is the guy behind him is playing so well, when in fact he does play.
For the first time in his Hall of Fame career, Jason Witten has a fellow tight end who deserves more snap time. Witten doesn’t deserve to be benched, but Jarwin deserves more opportunities.
Because of his undying loyalty to a man who always had his back, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett is denying his offense an asset.
When Witten left the ESPN booth to un-retire and return to the Dallas Cowboys, this sort of scenario was always a possibility. It was also the type of scenario the Cowboys, particularly Garrett, were never going to acknowledge.
Garrett and the Cowboys were always going to sell Witten’s return as a success, even if it was a colossal failure.
Witten’s return is neither a colossal failure, nor is it an Avengers-movie hit. These sorts of returns from retirement are usually just sad exists.
Witten’s return is neither. It’s fine.
After nine games it is evident the Cowboys need to see more of Blake Jarwin. He has been in only about 34 percent of the Cowboys’ offensive snaps this season.
Jarwin, an undrated free agent signee in 2017, has 15 receptions this season for 197 yards and three touchdowns. In that group of stats are four catches of 42, 28, 35 and 22 yards.
“I understand where I am at in my career and I’m trying to just soak in as much as I can,” Jarwin said. “He’s done a great job with me, walking me through everything. What I see on a field. What he sees on the field.
“I’m still a young guy. I’m a third-year player, but this is really only my second year playing. I have a lot to learn and I need experience. Just being out there with (Witten) is big for me.”
Blake Jarwin does damage when he catches the ball. Never was that more evident than the Cowboys’ loss on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings.
Witten had two receptions for 17 yards. Not included in his stats was one reception that the Jason Witten of old would have made, but the older Jason Witten did not as it was batted out of his hands.
Jarwin caught three passes for 35 yards.
No matter, the Cowboys’ tight end of choice remains Witten, who does not look that much different than he did in his “final” year, in 2017. His 36 receptions rank third on the team, and he has 338 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
He’s not an embarrassment. He is doing more than former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates did in the final year of his career last season when he started one game and caught 28 passes on a good team.
Gates looked done, whereas Witten looks he is still a good player.
He ranks eighth among NFL tight ends in receptions. He is a wonderful pro in a locker room, and still a capable blocker.
He’s also not in the prime of his career, nor is he close to it. He is a 37-year-old man playing a game surrounded by men who are 10 to 15 years younger. It is amazing he’s doing as well as he is.
Unlike previous years, he’s now slower and there is a viable option at tight end the Cowboys can use.
For years, they trotted out various possibilities and not one them was a superior alternative to Jason Witten. The closest was Martellus Bennett.
Jarwin is not equal to Witten as a blocker, but he has demonstrated he can hurt teams as a receiver.
“He continues to take advantage of (his opportunities); when he has them he learns from them,” Witten said of Jarwin. “The communication along the line of scrimmage with some of our double teams has been really good. He does everything the right way. He’s a huge weapon for this offense.”
The Dallas Cowboys are 5-4, and Jason Garrett is coaching for his job. Now is not the time to just play your friends, or stand in the way of a little progress.
