Exactly, we have no idea what will happen in the next 2-3 seasons. Will Dak continue to struggle? If so, we'll probably have a new QB by then. We don't know the future. There's no way to tell what will happen. Our only hope is to build this team around what we have now.
And, what we HAVE is an offense capable of the WCO with a few more pieces. What we NEED offensively is a deep threat. Thus, we need to draft or sign one. Dak can deliver a deep ball, but, how do you deliver a deep ball when you don't have a reliable deep threat? Dak's game is the quick game, and our offense is a run-balanced style. So, as I've said on other threads, why not incorporate it into a run balanced WCO like Linehan sort of did in Dak's rookie year? Let's take a look at the receivers we DO have. Dez CAN be a good WCO WR (if we keep him). Use him like the 49ers used TO. Dez is, after all, very similar to TO. In fact, I'd say he's more similar to TO than Irvin (which he was billed as early in his career as I recall, hence the 88). Indeed, I think we used him wrong. Don't treat him like Irvin. Instead, he should've been used like TO. That was the more accurate comparison. And I don't mean in terms of his mentality (though, one COULD argue that he's like TO there as well). Instead, his skills are very TO like.
Of course, if we should choose that Dez's services are no longer required, then I also like Noah Brown. With a bit more training, he could really develop into a very similar style WR to Dez or TO. Again, the same logic would apply without us skipping a beat. He looked like a physical chap when he had the ball. I think Zeke was on to something with him.
We also have Beasley who can really help Dak in quick passes (and i'm surprised he wasn't used more). We have Witten who's always a good option on check downs. We, of course, have Zeke when he's not in trouble (to be clear, the DV stuff I still argue was bogus, BUT some of the other stuff does raise red flags for me). That obviously is huge in the run game, but will he have learned his lesson from the suspension? On top of that, we have Switzer who, with more training, gives us 2 Beasleys.
Then, of course, there's Zeke. Will he be able to stay out of trouble? If he does, we have not only one of the best backs in the league, but we also have a player that has yet to reach his full potential. Remember what he did with the ball in Pittsburgh on the screen pass? Yes, we need to do THAT more. Not just use him in the running game and the blocking. He can be dynamic if given the short passes. Use the short passes and ground game to set up the play action deep ball. The PA is, after all, a WCO staple.
The two things I can see though are 1. A deep threat WR who can be used to take pressure off of Dak and focus off of Zeke. 2. A Dunbar/Sproles-type back. Use those kinds of backs to go horizontally on the field. Essentially (as a chess player), use them as a bishop and a knight. You have the queen in Zeke. The King in Dak. The rooks in Dez and Beasley. The Dunbar/Sproles-type back would basically be the bishop. Not exactly someone that will checkmate the opposing defense. But, they can chew up the board and support the queen. Then, your deep threat would be your knight capable of checkmating the team and really putting the opposition in problematic situations. After all, football is like a game of chess.
