Cowboys TE Review: Let Dalton Schultz Go, Play 2 Rookies?
The Dallas Cowboys have some off-season decisions to make with key personnel. With a host of free agents set to hit the market, one player that has divided opinions is tight end Dalton Schultz.
Dak Prescott's security blanket looks likely to test the market in the hopes of getting the going rate of around $14 million a season. Will the Cowboys buckle and pay Schultz?
Well, they don't have to.
Rookie tight ends Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot could be seen by the front office as the way forward at the tight end position. Not only that, but financially, the duo presents a golden opportunity that needs to be taken advantage of.
Hendershot has a three-year, $2.6 million deal, while Ferguson has a four-year, $4.4 mil deal. For the duration of the pair's contracts, Dallas will be paying only $7 mil to keep both on the roster.
Compared that to $14 million a year for Schultz...it is a no-brainer. Right?
That takes care of the money side of it, so what about on-field production?
Is the rookie pair as good as Schultz right now? The answer is no, but both showed flashes that suggest they could be.
Schultz had his worst year statistically since 2019. His 577 yards from 57 catches and five TDs make for OK reading. But is that worth $14 million per year?
This is where the thought between price and output go their separate ways.
Now the rookies. .. Ferguson caught 19 passes for 174 yards and two touchdowns, while Hendershot caught 11 for 103 and two touchdowns. A decent enough output and in Schultz's absence (two games), the duo combined for 11 catches, 118 yards and a touchdown against the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Hendershot's touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars showed good route-running and contested-catch ability (like Schultz), while Ferguson's athletic and run-after-the-catch ability has seen him utilized well when on the field (not to mention his leap over a Giants defender).
While Prescott's reliance on Schultz was called upon in the playoffs as the tight end caught a combined 12 catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns, in doing so, he likely outpriced his tight end of staying in Frisco.
If Schultz is deemed superfluous to requirements at The Star, then Cowboys Nation can feel reasonably good about its tight end room with two rookies who look set to make significant strides next season.
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