Fans of the Dallas Cowboys got a taste of what it's like when America's Team plays to its strengths in all phases of the game. One of those strengths is the overlooked key to their offense, who has been doing the dirty work all season long.
One of the most underrated Cowboys is fullback Hunter Luepke, who signed a two-year, $7.5 million extension in the offseason. The third-year man out of North Dakota State has found his niche as the key run blocker for Javonte Williams. Since then, he's worn multiple hats and hasn't been afraid to take on different roles.
Against the Raiders, Luepke seemingly overtook the role of Dallas' backup tight end, and it worked extremely well. He's opening up a lot of doors for this offense, and he's becoming a part of the rotation where he can no longer be ignored.
Hunter Luepke is wearing many hats for the Cowboys this season
On Monday Night Football, Luepke caught all three of his targets for 36 yards. On the ground, he had a carry for five yards. It might not seem like much, but we haven't seen as much action from Luepke on the receiving end this season until the Las Vegas game.
The Cowboys clearly made it a point to get Luepke more involved coming out of the bye week, and they’d be wise to continue leaning into that.
Luke Schoonmaker still surpassed Luepke in snaps, 30-16, per PFF. However, Luepke equaled the number of routes run between Schoonmaker, with six. All of that while also producing more than Schoonmaker all night, who was dead silent for the most part.
Brevyn Spann-Ford only had a catch for four yards, but with all due respect, he's been doing a superb job as a blocker all season long. Spann-Ford enters Week 12 as PFF's highest-graded run-blocking tight end.
Luepke wasn't even sure if he was going to make the roster over the summer. He came in as someone on the bubble thanks to a backfield logjam, but he's surpassed all of that noise to become a valuable piece who Brian Schottenheimer would be wise to keep involved.
Believe it or not, Luepke is the third-highest-paid fullback in the NFL on a per-year basis, but the truth is, he's doing a lot more than that. He's a receiver, a blocker, and a runner. Handing that much responsibility in the NFL is never easy. Hopefully, Luepke is given a chance to contribute in all three phases more consistently over the remaining seven games.