Any time you lose a first-ballot Hall of Famer,the assumption is that it will have a lasting impact on the team losing them. In some cases, however, it is fair to ask if that team may be better off without their legend. In the case of Dallas Cowboys all-time great tight end Jason Witten, an argument can be made for either side.
Witten retired from football after the 2017 season and quickly got hired to replace Jon Gruden on Monday Night Football. It seems he is happy with his decision; do the Cowboys feel the same?
Through two games, there is clearly a void in the Cowboys' passing game, but that can be attributed to many different factors. Along with losing Witten, the Cowboys also cut alpha-receiver Dez Bryant and useful part-time receiver Brice Butler (the Cowboys resigned Butler recently after he was cut by the Arizona Cardinals). Also, their offensive line has also been dealing with numerous injuries and some shuffling that have knocked them down a peg thus far this season.
Witten had always been the one constant in the Cowboys offense. Whether it was Tony Romo at the helm or a shiny new rookie in Dak Prescott, Witten was always there as a safety blanket.
Through his 15-year career, Witten played in all 16 games in every season besides his rookie campaign, in which he appeared in 15 games. That type of consistent presence from the tight-end position is invaluable.
Still, in his final few years, Witten started to show signs of slowing down.
While never an elite blocker, Witten was more than sufficient in that faze of the game early in his career. That aspect started to disappear as his career went on, forcing the Cowboys to work in other tight ends and use more and more two tight-end sets.
Having a presence like Witten on the field also makes the quarterback feel obligated to get him involved. That seemed to work against the Cowboys at times, especially once Witten's speed and agility started to wither away.
There were numerous times in the 2017 season where it was clear Prescott was forcing throws to Witten. Those passes often got Prescott in trouble. Despite that, Witten still posted 63 receptions and five touchdowns, but when you dig a bit deeper that seems hollow.
Witten's 2017 yards per reception fell to just 8.9, a full yard under his previous career low that he set in his rookie season. Just three seasons prior to that, Witten's Y.P.C. stood at 11.7, nearly three yards more than what he produced in his final year.
Known as a chain-mover throughout his career, Witten accounted for just 26 first downs in 2017, another number that was his lowest since his rookie season. If Witten continued to play, it is hard to justify the role that he was destined to maintain in the Cowboys offense. With all those things factored in, it seems clear Witten chose the right time to hang up his cleats and force the Cowboys to move on and face reality.
That doesn't mean it is ever easy to lose a legend of Witten's stature, but the one guarantee in sports is change. For Witten and the Cowboys, it was time.
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