For the past three seasons, Dalton Schultz has been the main man at tight end for the Cowboys. The 6-foot-5, 244-pound Stanford product first entered the scene when Dallas selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 draft (No. 137 overall).
Buried behind the likes of Jason Witten, Blake Jarwin and even Geoff Swaim, Schultz would only tally 13 receptions for 122 yards in his first two seasons. But that all changed in 2020 when Schultz took over the top TE spot, finishing fourth on the team in receiving yards and laying claim to TE1 for the rest of his days in Dallas.
That time came to an end this past March when Schultz took the train south to Houston and the Cowboys embarked on a new chapter at the TE position.
Based on previous standards, 2022 was technically a down year for Schultz. The 26-year-old dropped in yards, targets, touchdowns and catch percentage after setting career highs a season before. Even still, Schultz finished No. 2 in receiving yards for Dallas last season and was one of the only stable forces Dak Prescott had during a season that proved to be anything but stable.
For as criticized and possibly underappreciated as Schultz was towards the end, he leaves behind big shoes to fill.
The Cowboys have a number of candidates on hand to replace Schultz. Luke Schoonmaker, the rookie second-round pick from Michigan, is sure to be in the mix. As will second-year players Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot.
Ferguson, the early favorite to replace Schultz, flashed as a rookie. He may have only caught 19 passes for 174 yards, but he did enough to excite fans and make the Cowboys believe Schultz was expendable.
Then again, Dallas used their second-most valuable pick in the draft on the TE position which likely wouldn’t have happened if the Cowboys felt Ferguson was their long-term answer at TE1.
Even if Schultz was largely a product of the system (like many have suggested) there should be a level of unease as the Cowboys go into 2023 without a known commodity on staff.
Schultz has been Dak Prescott’s safety blanket for quite some time and replacing him with a reliable and consistent performer will be key for the Cowboys’ success this season.
“I had great chemistry with Dalton Schultz,” Prescott said when asked about it on 96.7 The Ticket. “But I think I can have the same with one of these young tight ends. Will we have it this year the way me and Schultz ended with? Who knows? But can it get there? Absolutely.”
Prescott appears to fully acknowledge the connection he and Schultz had but he doesn’t seem overly concerned whether it’s duplicatable.
Being where they are supposed to be and when they are supposed to be there will be Task No. 1 for the young group. Schultz wasn’t the most spectacular player downfield but he was reliable. Prescott trusted Schultz and it showed.
The next generation of TEs will be tasked with building that same level trust in 2023.
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