Blake Jarwin Cowboys Messages: 'Don't Forget Me,' 'Don't Diss Witten'
FRISCO - Blake Jarwin will find himself marching through the training-camp halls here at The Star in Frisco, on the way to meetings or workouts. And he'll naturally bump into members of the Dallas Cowboys offensive coaching staff who oversee a star-studded group.
And Jarwin, Dallas' new starting tight end, will wink and issue the coaches a reminder.
"Don't forget the little guys over here," Jarwin will say.
By "the little guys,'' Jarwin means "the other guys'' - that is, any of QB Dak Prescott's weapons who don't regularly find themselves on the covers of magazines.
This is in part a story not only about "Life With Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb,'' but also about "Life After Witten'' - until Jarwin writes his own story.
The iconic Jason Witten is in Las Vegas now, a Dallas decision made easier by the promise of Jarwin, the rangy tight end who played about 35 percent of the snaps last year while Witten played about 85 percent of them.
READ MORE: Why Did Witten Pick The Raiders?
Some people here outside and inside The Star last year thought those numbers should've been reversed. Soon, we find out if they are correct.
For now? We know that Jarwin doesn't agree with any negativity directed at Witten.
Said Jarwin: "I know there have been rumors maybe he wasn’t the best teammate. I couldn’t disagree more."
On the field and off, "Witten-esque'' might be too much to ask for of Jarwin - even though the Oklahoma State product has already established a higher level of explosiveness than the former Hall-of-Famer has recently played at.
“I think Blake is going to make a real impact on our offense,'' new coach Mike McCarthy said. "The ability to attack the middle of the field, in my view, is always critical to the passing game.''
Ultimately, in this offense, with these weapons? The Cowboys just need consistent production.
They'll get it from newcomer Blake Bell if they ask him to be mostly a blocker, as he was in Kansas City. Young Dalton Schultz needs to start competing for playing time.
But Jarwin the undisputed No. 1 on the depth chart, and how he produces is in part about new coach Mike McCarthy's decisions on how to use him. ... and part about Jarwin now being freed from the bottleneck that existed before, from the (dirty football word here) "progress-stopper'' that existed before.
Witten last year was targeted 83 times and caught 63 balls. Jarwin's numbers: 41 and 31. With Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, CeeDee Lamb and Ezekiel Elliott as premium targets for QB Dak Prescott, Jarwin doesn't need to double his numbers from 2019. But ...
"Just trust the game plan," said Jarwin, who in March signed a three-year extension that could pay him $24 million. "Coach McCarthy and (coordinator) Kellen (Moore) are going to put us in good spots to make plays when it's our time. Just never miss an opportunity to be ready. That's all I can ask for."
Dallas doesn't need Blake Jarwin to mimic Witten in terms of style. But if he does so in terms of general production ... the transformation will be a success. A new story will be written.
