The Cowboys haven’t used 21 personnel often in recent years but with the addition of a versatile FB like Hunter Luepke could change that. | From @ReidDHanson
There’s no telling what the Cowboys roster will look like when final cuts are made at the end of training camp. Obviously, a significant chunk of players are all-but-guaranteed to make the club, but a few fringe roster decisions are up in the air and could have major effects on the scheme and strategy of 2023.
The fullback position promises to be one of those. Gone are the glory days of Daryl Johnston. Nowadays, half the teams in the NFL don’t even carry a FB. Dallas hasn’t consistently rostered one and when they have, he’s been a bit part of the offense.
For over a decade, the NFL leaned into the spread offense. 11 personnel (3WR sets) has ruled and 21 personnel (2RBs) has fallen by the wayside. Teams often prefer to keep on an extra TE or extra WR on the team rather than dedicate a roster spot to a FB.
But times are always changing in the NFL and trends are often cyclical. Wait long enough and those bellbottoms in the back of the closet will be cool again. And guess what? Fullbacks might just be cool again too.
As the NFL shifts back to a split safety league where defenses are trying to do everything they can to stop big passing plays downfield, opportunities are opening up in the box. As we discussed previously, the running game is back in the NFL and it’s because defenses are begging for it.
Smart teams like San Francisco recognized this trend shift years ago and have been ahead of the curve. The Cowboys may be finally ready to get on board. Provided, of course, they have a decent fullback.
“There are always cycles,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said in a 2021 interview with SI. “That’s why to me, there’s no absolutes. That’s why I use 21 probably more than anyone in the NFL; we have a fullback in there, not just because that’s our offense, it’s because I believe that’s an advantage. People don’t play base defense very much because the majority of the league doesn’t have a fullback. And so you get people on the field they’re not used to practicing with. You know their menu’s smaller.”
Shanahan’s use of FB Kyle Juszczky is a sight to behold. His FB isn’t just a lead blocker, but also a motion man, a runner, and a pass-catcher. Can the Cowboys get the same out of Hunter Luepke?
As his Cowboys Wire profile states, Luepke is a do-it-all back who can serve many roles on the Dallas offense. He’s well rounded enough to replace a TE4 on the roster and given Mike McCarthy’s past FB usage, he stands a good chance to make the team, even if he is an UDFA from North Dakota State.
“If you’re playing fullback, playing 21, teams won’t have practiced against it and teams really don’t see it much,” said an AFC executive to Albert Brear. “And once you get into the season, it’s hard to practice those things full speed. You won’t have guys coming downhill the same way… and if you’re playing gap scheme, teams just don’t see a lot of that either, and it forces you to control gaps and defeat blocks.”
As KD Drummond outlined earlier in the offseason, new OL coach Mike Solari brings experience from multiple blocking schemes (albeit mostly inside zone) so the Dallas running game could mix and match in 2023.
With today’s defenses hyper-focused on stopping the pass, it’s a good time for the Cowboys to join the “mismatch bandwagon” and deploy a FB in 2023.
Clearly Luepke has to prove he’s worthy of the job. Coming from North Dakota State is an enormous leap. But if scouting reports can be trusted and he lives up to expectations, he could signal a slight philosophical change in Dallas.
McCarthy has stated his desire to have a balanced attack on offense on countless occasions. NFL defenses are practically begging offenses to run on their nickel-heavy personnel. And the Cowboys happen to have a John Kuhn-like (McCarthy’s top FB in Green Bay) prospect on their training camp roster.
The stage is set.
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