Jason Witten Talks Trash at Dallas Cowboys OTAs

Getty Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten

When Jason Witten was in the Monday Night Football booth, the future Hall of Fame tight end had to watch what he said.

But now un-retired and back on the football field with the Dallas Cowboys, Witten can let loose with whatever trash talk he wants.

“He usually starts a little bit and then we start chirping back and forth,” linebacker Sean Lee said to reporters at OTAs this week. “He’s always pressing people to get better.”

Lee said Witten was a sight for sore eyes during practice, where he reportedly played all the reps with the first-team offense

 

“Being here, you always admired him, the way he practiced and played. Last year we definitely missed him,” Lee said. “He’s going to push you to the next level. You have to know you’re coming in with a certain type of intensity. You have to be ready, you have to be at your best because of how good of a player he is, and how smart and competitive he is.”

It’s still unknown the extent that Witten will play this season for the Cowboys, especially after a year off. But first-year offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has liked what he’s seen so far, although he noted Witten likely won’t play 97 percent of the snaps like he did in the season before his hiatus.

“We feel great about where Whit is at,” Moore said on Wednesday. “Naturally, he’s probably not going to play 97 percent, but once you get 100,000 in the crowd, Whit is probably going to want to play a whole lot.”

Witten, who recently turned 37, rejoined the Cowboys after a year off that was spent in the MNF booth.

Witten announced he would return to the team in March through a statement, bringing a close to rampant speculation about his return to football.

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He just couldn’t stay away from Big D.

“The fire inside of me to compete and play this game is just burning too strong,” Witten said. “This team has a great group of rising young stars, and I want to help them make a run at a championship. This was completely my decision, and I am very comfortable with it. I’m looking forward to getting back in the dirt.”

Moore will be looking to contain that fire as Witten fills the roles of play-mentor-coach to the younger tight ends like Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz and Rico Gathers.

“It’s a good thing when someone wants to be on the field,” Moore said of Witten. “We have to do what’s best for the team and he’s still going to be involved heavily in so many ways.”

Cowboys mandatory minicamp revs up later this month from June 11-13.