News broke on Thursday that tight end Jason Witten would un-retire and return to play for the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. This was shocking, since Witten spent the entirety of the 2018 season working as a color analyst for Monday Night Football.

The move led to mixed reactions, but Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin — one of the greatest Cowboys of all time — had nothing but praise for Witten.

Via John Newby of 247Sports:

“Dallas Cowboys fans should be excited and elated about this decision because as we get ready for the combine, get ready for the draft, these are areas that the Cowboys were going to have to look at. They were going to have to look at tight end, safety, defensive line. Now, you can check that box that says tight end and focus on the other areas because Jason Witten is back.

“No better tight end in the NFL, I believe, at running that option route. The Cowboys had problems on short-yardage situations because everybody packed the box to stop Ezekiel Elliott. Now with Jason Witten, you can no longer do that.

“He has what he needs in the tank. Jason Witten is not a speedster. When you come back and say, ‘hey, can he still run?' He's never really been able to run. He plays basketball on a football field. He still has that big body, he still understands the timing of plays, and that's the key for the Dallas Cowboys.

“He becomes the security blanket for Dak Prescott now and opens up a great deal of things on the outside for those receivers. This is a great day for the Dallas Cowboys and the Cowboys fan base, getting back the greatest tight end they’ve ever had.”

Irvin is confident that Witten, even at his age, will be a valuable piece for Dallas this season. He might have a point: Witten has been very durable throughout his career. He has not missed a game since his rookie year in 2003.

This will be Witten's 16th season. He has spent every NFL season of his career with Dallas. He is an 11-time Pro Bowler.