SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Dallas Cowboys Coaching staff will watch film on the preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers and analyze what the team did well and what areas still need work/adjustments. In going over game highlights, two impact plays and players stood out on both sides of the football:
- Blake Jarwin’s big gain: Jarwin caught a deep ball up the middle for a gain of 33 yards on the play in the first quarter. He helped move the chains and brought the team to the 49ers 22-yard line. The tight end has outstanding pass-catching skills and is often used in pass patterns for Dallas as opposed to being used as a blocker.
Jarwin had a breakout season in the latter part of 2018 and was a constant go-to guy for Dak Prescott in critical third and fourth down situations. He is a reliable player with great hands who can get open on routes to extend drives. Longtime tight end, Jason Witten came out of retirement and is back in the Cowboys depth chart at the position, but Jason Garrett has made it clear that he will be limited to a certain number of snaps per game. Witten will not have the playing time he once did. Part of that reasoning is their love for Jarwin and his playmaking skills. This is an opportunity of elevated growth for Jarwin with the seven-time pro bowl player’s mentorship.
- Luke Gifford’s interception: The undrafted free agent from Nebraska intercepted the ball during the second quarter. He had great vision in tracking the football following Kerry Hyder’s pressure on the quarterback. In 2018 the Cowboys ranked seventh overall in total defense, but an area the club lacked production-interceptions. The squad only totaled nine interceptions for the season, ranking them 26th in the league. Gifford certainly got the attention of the coaching staff with his performance on Saturday night.
He played through the game with a dislocated finger and exited the game later on a cart with a predicted lower leg injury after his leg buckled underneath him following a hard hit. Fortunately for Dallas, Gifford only suffered an ankle sprain and the injury is not serious. That play shifted the momentum and gave Dallas’ offense another opportunity to score. His physicality on the gridiron and willingness to play with an injured hand is exactly the kind of heart a coaching staff looks for in a player. Gifford will fit right in with ‘Marinelli’s Madness.’ Needless to say, Gifford is certainly on pace to go apartment hunting with that talent display.
