FRISCO, Texas – The focus of the Dallas Cowboys’ offseason has been to be Dak-friendly as they look to build around their third-year quarterback.
But as the Cowboys start their three-week run of organized team activities Tuesday at The Star, there will be plenty of other things to watch other than Dak Prescott.
This theme will come up throughout the season: life without Jason Witten. For the first time since 2002, the Cowboys will have offseason practices without Witten, who retired and joined ESPN’s Monday Night Football after a career that saw him become the franchise leader in receptions, receiving yards and games played. The Cowboys want to take a look at the tight ends on the roster before potentially looking for outside help. Geoff Swaim is the only tight end with a catch in a regular-season game, and he has just nine for his career. The Cowboys like the potential of Blake Jarwin and selected Dalton Schultz in the fourth round. Then there’s Rico Gathers, whose athleticism makes him an intriguing possibility as he continues to learn the game.
Another theme will be life without Dez Bryant. The Cowboys will not look to one player to replace Bryant, the franchise leader in touchdown catches. They will look to the group, but Allen Hurns would seem to be the most likely replacement in the starting lineup. He was signed as a free agent after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars, where his numbers over his final three years were similar to Bryant’s final three with the Cowboys. Hurns has been a regular in the offseason program since joining the team, but this will be his first work under the watchful eye of the media.
For the first time since his rookie year in 2015, Byron Jones will work as a cornerback. In 2016 and ’17, he started every game at safety, but with Kris Richard coming in as the passing-game coordinator, Jones is moving back to cornerback. To Richard, he is the prototype corner in his scheme: tall, long arms, athletic. When Richard was with the Seattle Seahawks, he evaluated Jones as a corner, and he believes Jones can be an upper-echelon corner in his system. Jones has been more than open to the move, and if he performs well, he could cash in on a large deal in 2019 or 2020.
A year ago, there was intrigue in seeing Jaylon Smith practice after he missed his rookie season with a serious knee injury that resulted in nerve damage. This year the intrigue remains because Smith has been working out without a brace to help flex his left foot. Smith played in every game last season and the coaches credited him with 99 tackles, but he played better in smaller doses. Can he play better in bigger doses? Will he be a middle linebacker or move to the strong side after the Cowboys took Leighton Vander Esch in the first round? Does he have the movement back that he had at Notre Dame? Smith’s comeback has been a terrific story. Now the story has to turn to his effectiveness as a player.
This falls in line with the life-without-Bryant theme, but Tavon Austin’s incorporation into the offense will be worth watching. It’s not that the Cowboys will expect Austin to put up big-time numbers. It’s how he will be used as a space player, either at running back or receiver. The Cowboys have wanted to have a player in that kind of role for the past few years, but they could not mix it in as much with Bryant and Witten playing such prominent roles in the offense. Austin will have something to prove after an up-and-down time with the Los Angeles Rams. The Cowboys appear to be willing to give him that prove-it chance.