Cowboys Injury Update: Does Dallas' Roster Need A Fullback?
OXNARD, Calif. - In a different NFL time and a different NFL place, Mike McCarthy employed the fullback, on his rosters and in his game plans.
Is that what the 2021 Dallas Cowboys intend to do?
Last Thursday’s Hall of Fame Game preseason-opening loss to Pittsburgh left Dallas with one notable injury issue as Sewo Olonilua, the front-runner at the position of fullback - if there is such a thing - sustained a neck injury and could now miss a significant amount of time.
What does that do to Dallas' roster? Let's look back before we look forward. ...
Olonilua was an undrafted rookie free agent a year ago and then spent the bulk of 2020 on the practice squad. He did get called up to the varsity for a couple games, but after veteran Jamize Olawale opted out under the COVID-19 policy, Dallas - which had previously employed Olawale under former head coach Jason Garrett - elected to play the year essentially without a true fullback.
The Cowboys released Olawale last March, and signed DFW product Nick Ralston as an undrafted rookie. So Ralston and Olonilua are it here in training camp. ... and the feeling from the coaching staff, led by offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, is that the position is in some ways so obsolete that in a pinch, a team can simply line up a tight end at the spot and probably not only get similar blocking production but also an upgrade as a pass-catching threat.
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It is worth noting that Olonilua was getting some reps before the injury. It is also worth noting that Ralston is a physically-imposing kid who gets high marks in the character department from those who know him.
Maybe Ralston, now the only healthy fullback left to practice, impresses - possibly on special teams, though that's really something that will have to unveil itself in a preseason game, like Friday at Arizona. Or maybe this is a different time and a different place, and no time or place for an old-school fullback.
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