The Dallas Cowboys have made some changes over the course of the NFL offseason. The team recently parted ways with veteran wide receiver Dez Bryant, and now it appears they'll have to adjust to life without the heart and soul of the team in Jason Witten.

In a surprising twist ahead of the 2018 NFL season, news surfaced about Witten's intention to retire to pursue a career in broadcasting as Jon Gruden's replacement at ESPN for Monday Night Football. Although it may be a foregone conclusion that Witten will walk away, owner Jerry Jones is holding out hope that his veteran tight end will return for the 2018 campaign, via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk.

“As I saw Troy [Aikman] say, that’s his decision, and he’s got the time to make it,” Jones said. “He deserves the time to make that. I don’t have a timeline on it. I do know that when we left [Friday], he certainly thought he wanted the weekend to come to some conclusion.”

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During the fourth round of the draft, the team addressed the potential need at tight end. The Cowboys drafted Dalton Schultz out of Stanford. Jones maintains the team is confident about their depth at the position and gave a reason for bringing in Schultz, via Williams.

“I want to emphasize again how we like our tight ends that we’ve got on the roster that would be on the roster if we don’t have Witten, but certainly Dalton was noted as what we thought was the best blocker of the tight ends,” Jones said.

With or without Witten, the team appears to be secure at the position for the time being. Unfortunately, the leadership and all the wisdom he bestows on all the up-and-comers on the squad is irreplaceable. That could take a toll on this Cowboys squad which has its sights set on returning to form as a Super Bowl title contender next season.