Cowboys Fans Sound Off After Fan-Favorite Tight End Released

Getty Blake Jarwin #89 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up before a game.

Teams like the Dallas Cowboys have to make tough decisions every offseason, and that means cutting well-liked players for financial or quality reasons.

The seemingly guaranteed departures of players like wide receiver Amari Cooper and tackle La’el Collins will have their own reactions, but before those major moves were completed, the Cowboys went ahead and released two players: kicker Greg Zuerlein and tight end Blake Jarwin.

Zuerlein’s departure comes as no surprise, as he’s a 34-year-old veteran who also missed six extra-point attempts in 2021 according to PFR. His 82.9% made field goal rate with the Cowboys isn’t especially great either, so it wasn’t a shocker.

However, Jarwin’s release is a little tougher to swallow. Jarwin has been with Dallas since he entered the league in 2017, and was even considered to be a rising star at the position but a myriad of injuries after his contract extension in 2020.

The Cowboys will be able to save around $3.8 million in cap space according to the team’s website, but the need for cap savings and to move on from an injury-prone player doesn’t make it any easier for some fans.

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NFL World Reacts to Cowboys Cutting Jarwin

When the team released the news on March 11, there was no shortage of fans, media members and players that had takes and reactions. For the most part, it was Cowboys followers expressing their thanks and sadness Jarwin didn’t work out.

“Sucks about Blake Jarwin, kid had a lot of untapped potential,” @YaitesJames succinctly described.

Jarwin entered the league after his college career at Oklahoma State, and one Pokes fan is rooting for him to find success elsewhere after his first team after college didn’t end up working out.

“Man I love Blake Jarwin and really hopes he can show what he’s about elsewhere,” @OKSTProbs tweeted.

Similarly, @hoodiemorr expressed the conflicting interests that bother him in the Jarwin released. Being an OK State fan alongside a Cowboys fan is creating a good and bad reaction.

“As a Dallas Cowboys fan I’m honestly pretty happy with this,” he wrote. “As an Oklahoma State fan I’m devistated [sic] for Blake Jarwin. He deserved better than injuries f–king up his career.”

Besides genuine sadness, there are also plenty of fans that expressed anger or cracked jokes about the situation. For @beautifulman, he threw a jab toward tight end Dalton Schultz when referencing that Schultz is being franchise tagged while Jarwin is released.

“I still can’t tell the difference between Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz,” the fan wrote.

Jarwin Injury Woes

In the middle of the 2020 season, Jarwin was growing into his biggest role yet. After signing a four-year, $22 million deal with the Cowboys, he was given more responsibility in the wake of Jason Witten retiring for good.

However, a torn ACL wrecked the season before it really got started, as he played 25 snaps in the season opener before the injury. It was terrible luck, but it unfortunately didn’t end there.

After recovering in time for 2021, Jarwin got the starting nod in five games and helped contribute in blocking and scheming as Schultz took on more targets and became a bigger focus in the passing focus. Despite finding a groove, Jarwin suffered a hip injury that put him on the injured reserve in late October that sidelined him until the end of the regular season.

Jarwin was able to return for the season’s final two games, but he’s now had hip surgery and his ability to return in time for the 2022 season is in jeopardy.