FRISCO, Texas – Tight end Blake Jarwin will be back at practice this week as the Cowboys prepare for the Eagles in the regular season finale.
The Cowboys placed Jarwin on their injured reserve/designated to return list on Tuesday, beginning his 21-day practice window. During the evaluation period, the Cowboys can activate him to the 53-man roster at any point or must return him to IR when the three weeks have concluded. This will mark Jarwin’s first time back on the practice field at the Star in Frisco since injuring his hip in the team’s Halloween win at Minnesota. After missing the last nine contests on injured reserve, he will now have a chance to end the 2021-2022 season on a positive note.
He is on the journey back to playing this week, a day after the club received dreaded news on the No. 3 receiver. Michael Gallup suffered a season-ending torn ACL in Sunday’s loss to the Cardinals. Jarwin is not expected to play this Saturday in Philadelphia but has a positive chance of playing in the Cowboys’ first playoff game, two weekends away.
Injuries have hindered an otherwise ascending career for Jarwin. The pass-catching tight end suffered a torn ACL in the season opener of the 2020 season against the Rams. Dalton Schultz assumed the starting role and his hard work off the field materialized into a breakout campaign. He took full advantage of the opportunity, registering career-highs in receiving yards (618) and touchdowns (four) in 14 game starts, despite a revolving door at quarterback following Dak Prescott’s season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. Schultz’s production carried over into the 2021 season, while Jarwin tried to insert himself back into the mix on offense. However, he was once again de-railed by injury.
Schultz has earned the TE1 role, but Jarwin has proven himself to be a reliable weapon and go-to target on third down for Dak Prescott in years past. Like Schultz, Jarwin will not bolster blocking up front but does provide another weapon in the passing game and option in 12 personnel packages. He will be welcomed with open arms in January and at the precise moment the Cowboys’ offense desperately needs to show signs of life and regain their identity.
