Five Dallas Cowboys players set to have a breakout year in 2021

Just about every year teams around the league have players who, for whatever reason, seem to come out of nowhere and have breakout seasons and the Dallas Cowboys are no exception. Dalton Schultz was that player for the Cowboys last year, but who will emerge for America’s Team in 2021?

Here are five players currently on the Cowboys roster who have a good chance of having breakout seasons this year. All five of the players mentioned below should see a significant increase in playing time, which has a lot to do with why they are nominated as potential breakout targets.

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Donovan Wilson, Safety

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Entering Year 3 Donovan Wilson is one of the few holdovers from the Dallas Cowboys secondary from a season ago. As things stand right now, he’s the favorite to start at strong safety and should bring some much-needed playmaking ability to the position based on the way he played last year. Him having a breakout season as a full-time-starter isn’t out of the question.

Wilson seems to have a unique knack for being in the right place at the right time. Although his playmaking ability has only shown up in flashes and not on a consistent basis as of yet, he has a chance to excel in Dan Quinn’s system that’s not quite as complicated as the defensive scheme from a season ago.

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Tyler Biadasz, Center

As a rookie, Tyler Biadasz ended up starting a total of four games with the Cowboys last year, playing a total of 427 offensive snaps (37.23%). With Joe Looney gone his playing time should increase significantly as the expected full-time starter at center in 2021. Because of that expectations are pretty high and why he has a good chance of having a breakout season.

With an All-Pro guard to his right and a seasoned veteran to his left, Biadasz is surrounded by experience he can lean on in Year 2 with the Cowboys. He shouldn’t have to worry too much about what’s going on around him, which should allow him to focus purely on his job. He may not play at a Pro Bowl level, but he doesn’t have to for him to have a breakout season considering the talent Dallas has on the offensive side of the ball.

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Randy Gregory, Defensive End

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Once considered a Top 10 talent in the 2015 NFL Draft, Randy Gregory has largely been a disappointment since joining the Dallas Cowboys mostly due to his off-the-field problems. Despite that, his talent is still undeniable and could be on full display opposite DeMarcus Lawrence in 2021 as a full-time starter.

Now that Gregory’s off-the-field problems look to be in the past, the Cowboys patience in him can finally, hopefully, pay off. He is the type of player who can easily produce 10 QB sacks in a season, especially considering he’s playing across from a talent like D-Law who always demands extra attention. Don’t be at all surprised if No. 94 is Dallas’ sack leader this year.

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Blake Jarwin, Tight End

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If Dalton Schultz can produce 63 catches for 615 receiving yards and four touchdowns as the Cowboys starting tight end, I can’t wait to see what numbers Blake Jarwin puts up this year. No offense to Schultz, but Jarwin is exactly the kind of mismatch weapon who can do a lot of damage from the TE position in the Cowboys passing game.

Jarwin’s size and athleticism will likely make him a favorite target for QB Dak Prescott in 2021, despite the other weapons he has at his disposal. The TE position has always been somewhat of a security blanket for Prescott and the Cowboys haven’t had a player this athletic at the position in nearly two decades. He could be heavily targeted this year and as such should have a breakout season.

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Micah Parsons, Linebacker

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It remains to be seen how Dan Quinn and his coaching staff plans on utilizing and dividing up the defensive snaps at the linebacker position in 2021, but the one thing we can probably count on is a heavy dose of Micah Parsons. As Dallas’ first-round pick this year, it’s all but guaranteed he will be heavily involved defensively as a rookie.

There’s still quite a bit Parsons can do to improve his overall game, but there’s no doubting his talent or the impact he can have from the LB position. His size, speed, and prowess as a blitzer should be on full display early and often this year. If the coaching staff can play to his strengths there’s no reason to believe he won’t have a breakout season.