It’s never a good sign when a rookie draft pick misses significant time in training camp. The Cowboys have a history of selecting injured players in the past and typically it results in a fairly uneventful rookie season for the player.
Matt Waletzko in 2022, Josh Ball in 2021 and Connor McGovern in 2019 are recent examples of injured rookies who essentially red shirted their rookie season with the Cowboys. The most notable recent player of this ilk was Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith. Michigan TE Luke Schoonmaker, Dallas second pick in the 2023 draft, seeks to buck that trend.
A carry-over injury from his time with the Wolverines meant Schoonmaker began training camp on the Non-Football Injury list.
Diagnosed with a partially torn planter fascia, the rookie tight end was working his way back on an undetermined timeline this summer. Traditionally, the injury heals in its own time, so it was uncertain when the second-round pick would make his practice debut.
After two weeks of rehab off to the side, Schoonmaker made his long-awaited debut in Oxnard. Now the question is, how long will it take the rookie to catch up with the rest and can he make up for lost time?