To say the Dallas Cowboys have been up and down over the last several years would be a massive understatement. Fourth round pick Dak Prescott took Tony Romo’s job from him three seasons ago when he got hurt, taking them to the playoffs.
Were they Super Bowl contenders the next year? No, they underwhelmed with a 9-7 record and missed the playoffs. Last season was a roller coaster for them as well. They started slow but then the defense found its identity and they went full steam ahead into the playoffs before losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round.
But they just made one move that might have put them over the hump and turned them into one of the most threatening Super Bowl contenders.
NFL players and coaches are becoming interchangeable, almost synonymous, with sports commentators on all of the networks.
Head coaches like John Fox and Rex Ryan made the leap to ESPN, while Monday Night Football’s Jon Gruden accepted a monster 10-year $100 million contract to coach the Oakland – and soon to be – Las Vegas Raiders.
Also, players like Tony Romo and Jason Witten both recentlyretired from the Dallas Cowboys to take broadcasting roles for CBS and ESPN respectively.
While Romo thrived in the booth alongside Jim Nantz with his incredible ability to predict plays, rapidly making him a living legend amongst broadcasters, the former Cowboys tight end was widely regarded as not being that great at that particular job.
That’s probably why he made the push to come back out of retirement and join his former team for one last season. Witten snagged a one year $3.5 million contract – with a possibility of $5 million – to don the helmet again.
Jason Witten is without a doubt a first ballot hall of famer. Over his 15-year career, he’s certainly on the Mount Rushmore of not only tight ends but of the Dallas Cowboys as well.
So does he have enough in the tank after such a long illustrious career?
A lot of NFL players who have done this same thing before will tell you that taking a year off of the game can help dramatically.
Marshawn Lynch was a perfect of example of this albeit he’s a running back and takes even more hits than Witten.
But over the last couple of seasons, on the lackluster underperforming Raiders offense, Lynch was one of the brightest lights of the team.
Taking a year off to recover can do wonders for your body.
So where does that leave the Dallas Cowboys?
The answer to that question is they are in great shape to make a push for the Super Bowl with the addition of Witten.
Plus they have one of the best offensive lines in football with one of the elite running backs in the league, Ezekiel Elliott, leading the charge right behind them.
Prescott loved using Witten on challenging 3rd down situations. He was his go-to target, which spells good news for the rest of the offense because as everyone knows, that opens up the entire offense.
Also, don’t forget that the Cowboys’ defense were elite at the end of the regular season and there’s no reason to think that they can’t steamroll that momentum this year.