Jason Witten is coming out of retirement and returning to Cowboys, but does he have anything left?

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INDIANAPOLIS — There’s good news and bad news, Eagles fans. 

Good news: You won’t have to listen to Jason Witten as an analyst on Monday Night Football in 2019. 

Bad news: He’ll face the Eagles twice. 

The Cowboys shocked the NFL world on Thursday afternoon, announcing that Witten is coming out of retirement and will play for them in 2019. It will be his 16th NFL season after one dismal year in the broadcast booth. 

Witten, 36, became the butt of jokes during his one year with ESPN, but he is a future Hall of Fame tight end. Even though he’s getting up there in age, Witten was incredibly durable during the first 15 years of his career. He missed one game in 15 seasons. 

“The fire inside of me to compete and play this game is just burning too strong,” Witten said in a statement released by the Cowboys. “This team has a great group of rising young stars, and I want to help them make a run at a championship. This was completely my decision, and I am very comfortable with it. I’m looking forward to getting back in the dirt.”

So, will Witten really help the Cowboys? Maybe. 

Without Witten, the Cowboys went 10-6 in 2018 and beat out the Eagles to win the NFC East title. They even won a wild card game before losing to the Rams in the divisional round. 

In his last NFL season in 2017, Witten caught 63 passes for 560 yards and five touchdowns. He’s not exactly the All-Pro he once was, but he might be able to help. Even though this seems like a lot: 

The Cowboys also used a fourth-round pick last year on TE Dalton Schultz, so perhaps Witten can help bring him along. 

In his career, Witten has 152 catches, 1,642 yards and eight touchdowns against the Eagles in 29 career games. 

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