Sean McKeon finds himself in a crowded Cowboys room with little oxygen

For almost the entire millennium, the Dallas Cowboys never really had to worry about their depth at the tight end position. After Jason Witten ascended to the throne, he gave the Cowboys consistent, dependable production that gave a series of quarterbacks reliable targets down the seams and will get him enshrined into the Hall of Fame once he’s eligible. The team has certainly tried to find him a buddy or two along the way, but for the most part that’s been a fruitless expedition over the years.

From Sean Ryan to Anthony Fasano to Martellus Bennett to James Hanna to Gavin Escobar, time and again the team spent resources on players who couldn’t get a real opportunity because Witten didn’t like to share his toys and they weren’t good enough to force the issue. Now that Witten’s out of the picture, the Cowboys are working to find consistency at the position. While Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz will occupy the top two slots on the depth chart, there is room behind them for others to work and prepare for the inevitable opportunity that will be afforded when an injury occurs. Right now, free agent Jeremy Sprinkle sits atop the throne, but outside of more veteran experience, he has no real claim to the title. Sean McKeon, a second-year UDFA out of Michigan, stands as good a chance as anyone else of being that guy.

Our 2021 player profile countdown continues with No. 84.

Background Details

Jersey No.: 84 Position: TE Age: 23 Height: 6-foot-5 Weight: 246 pounds Hometown: Dudley, Massachusetts High School: Shepherd Hill Regional High School College: Michigan Draft: 2020 UDFA

(AP Photo/Brandon Wade)

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Statistics and Salary Details

Player Profile

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7ajlYMOFWE

Film Study: Vs Ohio State (2019)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_wZhfFatc0 McKeon sat behind Jarwin, Schultz and Blake Bell last season, spending it on the active roster but without getting much opportunity to showcase what he could do within an offense. He played just 64 offensive snaps, four from the backfield, eight in the slot and another 52 playing as the inline tight end. Meanwhile he logged 82 snaps as a blocker on kick and punt returns and another 19 covering punts not to mention extra point and field goal snaps (36). Special teams will be the key to his making the team and if he ever sees the field on offense, it will be in the role Schultz was going to play before Jarwin's Week 1 ACL tear. In order to do this, though, he'll have to beat out Sprinkle and fend off the latest crop of UDFAs attempting to live the same life McKeon is. The Cowboys signed McKeon's former teammate, Nick Eubanks this offseason as well as TCU's Artayvious Lynn. Both were prospects in the same vein as McKeon, without much collegiate passing stat accumulation.

This profile is part of our countdown series to the regular season. For the full 90-man roster, go here.

• No. 99: DT Justin Hamilton

• No. 98: DT Quinton Bohanna

• No. 97: DL Ron'Dell Carter

• No. 96: DT Neville Gallimore

• No. 95: DT Brent Urban

• No. 94: DE Randy Gregory

• No. 93: DE Tarell Basham

• No. 92: DE Dorance Armstrong

• No. 91: DL Carlos Watkins

• No. 90: DE DeMarcus Lawrence

• No. 89: TE Blake Jarwin

• No. 88: WR CeeDee Lamb

• No. 87: TE Jeremy Sprinkle

• No. 86: TE Dalton Schultz

• No. 85: WR Noah Brown

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