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When the Dallas Cowboys traded for Jamize Olawale two years ago, there was hope that he would be a bit of a dynamic weapon in the team’s offense. His biggest moment that season came in Indianapolis and, well, it wasn’t great.
Last season the Cowboys actually signed Olawale to a three-year deal in March. He played on only 10.5% of the snaps in Kellen Moore’s offense, but at one point during the season Dak Prescott actually threw downfield to him. Olawale does present a versatile skill-set for the Cowboys if they choose to use it.
Obviously there is a new regime at the controls for the Dallas Cowboys with Mike McCarthy now the head coach, and it appears as if he wants Olawale in tow for his 2020 plans. On Tuesday it was reported that the Cowboys have picked up Olawale’s option for this season.
The Cowboys have picked up the 2020 option for FB Jamize Olawale, per source. While his offensive role in Dallas has been limited in two seasons, he’s one of the team’s core special teams players.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 10, 2020
Jamize Olawale has not missed a game for the Cowboys since joining the team in 2018. Dallas acquired him from the Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders just a few months before they went back to that well to get Amari Cooper. Dallas was in need of a fullback as Keith Smith had just left in free agency, coincidentally, to the Raiders.
As mentioned in the tweet, Olawale plays an important role on the Cowboys special teams. John Fassel will be taking over that unit and must have liked what he saw on tape in regards to Olawale and teams. In 2019, Olawale played on 62.8% of the special teams snaps, second only to C.J. Goodwin.
Ezekiel Elliott obviously commands the lion’s share of touches in the Cowboys backfield, but they do have two other options in Tony Pollard (the next highest priority) and Olawale. While they might use Olawlae more in the offensive mix than previously, his worth still seems to be on special teams.