NFL Training Camp: Dallas Cowboys Offensive Preview

by Chad Jones

Dallas Cowboys Dez Bryant and Tony Romo

A year from today, Gavin Escobar will be appearing on national television shows to preview Cowboys Camp, and will be considered a matchup nightmare across the NFL. His value won't be exclusively in production, but in his ability to transform the Cowboys offense into a dynamic attack. Jason Garrett is an adept schemer that has learned from some of the brightest minds in football. While he won't be responsible for play calling, he will be integral to preparing the offense for each opponent. 

Escobar gives the Cowboys personnel group flexibility, and complements the existing group of tight ends on the roster- Hall of Famer Jason Witten & promising 2nd year pro James Hanna. Many view the selection as another Jerry Jones mistake, referencing Martellus Bennett (61st Overall 2008) & Anthony Fasano (53rd Overall 2006), seeing a parallel in the Escobar selection. I look to address your concerns.

Jason Witten:
Respect I have for Jason is immense. Best way I could describe him is consistency & a complete game. Truly Tony Romo's safety valve, he's elite at beating both man & zone coverages. Shows keen awareness to find soft spots against the latter. Great hands, true competitor & a future Hall of Fame lock.

The one knock to Witten's game is he's not truly an elite Red Zone Target. I've felt that while the drag against zone coverage or the quick out v. man are his signature routes, he's not truly elite running the vertical seam pattern.

Watching Gavin Escobar at San Diego State, he excelled running this route stretching safeties vertically, adjusting to the ball in the air & making difficult catches. Herein lies the rational for Escobar, the Cowboys add a 2nd Tight End that can stretch defenses similar to a wide receiver, especially vs. Cover 3.

This does not diminish the value of 2012 6th Rounder James Hanna, who displayed versatility & upside in his rookie season. He can adequately contribute in the conventional fullback capacities in short yardage situations, and also backup both Witten & Escobar in other personnel groupings. He's a core Special Teams player that should contribute between 10-20 catches.

The combination of Escobar & Witten makes Dallas difficult to defend. They can either spread defenses out with 1 Tight End & 3 Wide Receivers; running against nickel packages to the weak side. Or they can force defenses to keep base personnel on the field with the 2 Tight End sets. It gives Garrett the opportunity to scheme opponents on a weekly basis. 2013 3rd Rounder Terrance Williams was added to provide the 3rd WR, if he can win a fierce camp battle with incumbent Dwayne Harris. Both players games will improve with the competition, and will provide critical depth behind one of the elite WRs Dez Bryant & the oft-injured, albeit quality secondary option Miles Austin.

On the offensive line, the Cowboys added Travis Frederick to provide a foundational interior presence. Don't underestimate his abilities, especially considering Bill Callahan had to see comparable traits to former pupil Nick Mangold. If Dallas can improve the interior offensive line, thus decreasing the interior leakage & pressure on Romo, this offense is going to be dynamic. It will be able to attack Defenses in multiple ways, and have the ability to adjust game plan on the fly.

Keep an eye on the positional battles on the offensive line, where Jones sought to 'Create Competition' heading into camp. At the skilled positions, there's a group of players that with adequate blocking will thrive. It all starts with Tony Romo, whose one of the underrated players in the game today. I'm optimistic about the 2013 Cowboys, and view this as the year they'll make a late season run.


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