Dallas Cowboys

Three Unsung Heroes of the Dallas Cowboys Offense

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 3:05 p.m. ET

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These three players are often overlooked but have been key contributors to the Dallas Cowboys and their offensive success so far this season.

Sep 25, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) and quarterback Dak Prescott (4) talk with NBC sideline reporter Michele Tafoya after the game against the Chicago Bears at AT&T Stadium. Dallas won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Though the first six weeks of the NFL regular season, the Dallas Cowboys are a surprising 5-1.

Led by an explosive offense, Cowboys fans know the names of those shining stars all to well.

From extraordinary rookies like quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott.

To the Cowboys consistent All-Pro offensive Iinemen – guard Zack Martin, center Travis Frederick, and left tackle Tyron Smith.

We all know the names of Dallas’ star wide receivers – Dez Bryant, Cole “Beas-mode” Beasley and Terrance “T-Will” Williams.

And we are all aware what that trio has done to solidify the Cowboys passing attack through the first six weeks of the regular season.

You probably even know about wide out Brice Butler and are thankful for the tall and speedy receiver’s two trips to the end zone this season.

Everyone knows and recognizes future Hall of Fame tight end Jason Witten‘s contributions as a safety net in the passing game and as a run blocker.

But there are three players I believe that should stand out to you, if you watch closely, that have had a major impact on the productivity of this offense as well; only they rarely get mentioned.

So, on the following pages I present three unsung heroes of the Dallas Cowboys offensive in 2016…so far.

October 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Lucky Whitehead (13) is tackled by San Francisco 49ers linebacker Michael Wilhoite (57) during the first quarter at Levi

Lucky Whitehead, Wide Receiver

Lucky has been the primary kick and punt returner for the Dallas Cowboys for the past two seasons. He has shown glimpses of the explosive capability that he possesses, and has proven to be effective and decisive when finding running lanes as at returner.

In fact, he has so much potential with the ball in his hands, that he has also been an extremely useful gadget on offense.

Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has been consistently bringing Lucky Whitehead into the huddle for a handful of snaps.

More often than not Lucky will go in motion before the snap.

The first reason for him going in motion is to run a reverse called a jet sweep, where he is already at a dead sprint when he gets the ball in his hands and he uses that speed to get outside and find space in the open field.

In 2016, he has four rushes for 46 yards- including a 26 yard scamper against the Green Bay Packers on third down that saved the Cowboys from being pinned deep in their own territory.

Without any timeouts and less than two minutes to go, Lucky’s jet sweep put the Cowboys into potential scoring position before the end of the first half. That play was pivotal in helping set up a Dak Prescott to Brice Butler touchdown.

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The second reason for sending Lucky in motion is to fake a jet sweep, which forces at least one defender to be responsible for containing him. Being able to fake the sweep helps set up running back Ezekiel Elliott with running opportunities with one less defender to worry about near the line of scrimmage, as was displayed against the Packers in the second half after the big gain was still fresh in Green Bay’s mind.

Putting Whitehead in motion not only makes the defense worry about the sweep, it also puts him in great position as a run blocker.

The third wrinkle in the motion look with Lucky Whitehead was also on display in Week 6 against the Packers. This is where the Cowboys were in the exact same formation that they used for the jet sweep and the inside run with Elliott, and instead faked both.

The Packers ended up selling out to defend the run and had all 11 defenders near the line of scrimmage. After Lucky ran in motion, the Cowboys faked a handoff to Ezekiel Elliott and Lucky took off up the field and presented himself as a passing target for quarterback Dak Prescott.

Had Prescott been able to fire the ball quickly, the play is likely an easy catch and run touchdown. However, Prescott had to hold the ball until a passing lane came available and Whitehead was still able to secure a 36 yard catch.

While Whitehead only sees around 10 offensive snaps per game, his role in the offense has been impactful on many occasions.

Sep 18, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Geoff Swaim (87) runs with the ball as Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland (26) chases in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Cowboys won 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Geoff Swaim, Tight End

Swaim is another player that goes under the radar, but when you look closely he has been a key contributor to the Cowboys offensive success.

While Swaim has done little as a receiver- only running a route on seven snaps this season, he has made the most of those receiving opportunities. In those seven snaps, Swaim has been targeted five times, catching three of them for 50 yards.

Where Swaim has had the biggest impact on the offense is as a run blocker. He has played 108 snaps on running plays. On analytic site Pro Football Focus, Swaim has actually received the third-highest run blocking grade of any player on the Cowboys, behind center Travis Frederick and guard Zack Martin.

A great example of Swaim’s run blocking ability was shown on Ezekiel Elliott’s 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals: Click Here To Watch The Video

Swaim went in motion from the right side of tight end Jason Witten all the way across the formation to the left of offensive tackle Tyron Smith when the play began. Smith was asked to kick out the defensive end on his side, which he was able to do successfully.

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Left guard Ron Leary sprinted into the second level to hit the first linebacker he came in contact with.

Center Travis Frederick was asked to down block one defensive tackle (Domata Peko) while Zack Martin was responsible for the other defensive tackle (Geno Atkins).

Right tackle Doug Free allowed defensive end Carlos Dunlap to stay unblocked on the play and instead ran up to the second level to block a linebacker.

Tight end Jason Witten ran a passing route to the right flat which actually drew two defenders away from the run.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott started off running a stretch play to his left, which caused the entire defense to flow in that direction and then he cut back to the middle of the field.

Swaim’s impact on this play was tremendous. Swaim was asked to perform a trap block on the unblocked end man on the line of scrimmage (EMLOS for those of you that are football junkies), defensive end Carlos Dunlap.

A trap block works because the defender believes that the offensive line made a mistake in not blocking him, which makes him free to run from the back side of the play. In this case, Dunlap thought he was going to be able to chase down Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield from the back side.

Swaim did a terrific job in getting all the way across the play to seal off Dunlap who never saw Swaim coming. That block prevented Dunlap from making a tackle in the backfield.

The Cowboys offensive coaches having the trust that Swaim could execute this trap block allowed two offensive linemen to get to the second level to clear out linebackers which helped spring Elliott for the longest touchdown of the year thus far for the Cowboys.

Sep 25, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys guard Ronald Leary (65) and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (R) leaves the field after the game against the Chicago Bears at AT&T Stadium. Dallas won 31-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Ronald Leary, Offensive Guard

Through the first two games, the Dallas Cowboys running game showed glimpses of dominance but still had plays that were concerning.

The starting left guard at the time, second year player La’el Collins, had been inconsistent at best when it came to clearing running lanes. Pro Football Focus had him graded as a 43.0 in run blocking before he injured his foot in the third game which has required season ending surgery.

One of the main reasons that the running game has excelled from that point on, and the most overlooked reason, is the play of Collins’ replacement- Ronald Leary.

Leary was the starting left guard for the Cowboys in the 2014 season where the Cowboys had one of the elite rushing attacks in the league. His familiarity with both the Cowboys running scheme as well as with the other offensive linemen allowed him to come in and play at a very high level from his first snap this season.

Leary could easily be starting on the majority of teams in the NFL, and could even be many teams’ best offensive lineman.

Since Leary has been playing, rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott has ran for 130 or more yards in every game.

Does Leary deserve all the credit? Absolutely not, a lot goes in to running the ball as effectively as the Cowboys have in their past four games.

But Leary most certainly deserves to be recognized as a previously unsung hero for this offense.

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