Why Baron Odom Could Be the Cowboy Back of the Future

With the personnel that the Cowboys will have next year, many people are calling for a diminished use of the cowboy back. Coach Gundy and Co. initially introduced the position to enhance the run game, but the position also helps the offense in another way.

People forget that big-bodied receivers with speed provide a unique problem for a defense, as they are too big for corners and too fast for linebackers. OSU fans saw the position’s potential with players like Zac Veatch, Blake Jarwin and Jeremy Seaton having success at the cowboy back. With their departure, the Cowboys are now in search of their next stud at the position.

Incoming freshman and former Oklahoma Super 30 senior Baron Odom has the potential to do that for the Cowboys in the future. Baron has the size (6’5, 225 lbs) and has already proven his receiving capabilities, catching 18 touchdown passes in his senior year at Wynnewood.

Odom was frequently used as a flexed receiver for the Savages. Flexed tight ends have become all the rage in the modern spread because of how it creates mismatches. If you flex your linebacker to cover him head up, you leave the box susceptible to the run; if you keep your linebacker in the box, you leave the tight end uncovered before the snap; and if you bring in a different personnel, say a nickel or dime package, you give the tight end a significant size advantage over his defender.

Think of a pass-catching tight end like Mark Andrews at Oklahoma:

Or a human mismatch like Jace Amaro at Texas Tech:

Or even a bigger tight end like Colt Lyerla at Oregon:

Tight ends or cowboy backs can survive in an air raid offense. As mentioned earlier, the Cowboys are still in search for a well-rounded cowboy back.

Keenan Brown will likely be one of OSU’s starters, but he still has work to do when it comes to blocking. Britton Abbott and Dawson Bassett are both known as blocking backs, although Bassett did play tight end in high school, and they are yet to be used in the passing game.

A guy like Odom could do it all. Although he still has work to do in terms of development, and will probably be one or two years before he sees the field on a consistent basis, he could become OSU’s next big-time cowboy back for the future and bring life to an under-appreciated position.