Dallas Deadline: Cowboys Franchise Tag Dalton Schultz, Not Randy Gregory

FRISCO - The NFL franchise tag deadline is here, with the Dallas Cowboys, wanting contractual control of both defensive end Randy Gregory or tight end Dalton Schultz, utilizing the tool in order to place-hold their spot.

And sources now say Schultz is the tagged guy.

Sources tell CowboysSI.com that Dallas is “all-in” on keeping Gregory. If so, the only way to "rule out'' tagging him is to sign him to a long-term deal.

The Cowboys tag of Gregory would’ve cost $17.9 million. Dallas will continue to deal there.

Dallas will now keep the surprisingly productive Schultz as well; his tag is $10.9 million.

Each team can tag one player, and the upside for the team here: it ties the player to the club for one year as they have until mid-June to work out a long-term deal, without which the player has to play the upcoming season on the tag.

The downside for the team, especially one with cap challenges: That money is guaranteed, and eats up that much against the cap.

The upside for the player (and yes, it exists, even as some see the tag as a penalty)? Gregory at $20 million would make him one of the highest paid defensive lineman in NFL history, and the money is fully guaranteed.

For Schultz, the tag makes him one of the seven highest-paid tight ends in the NFL.

The downside for the player? If a new deal can’t be worked out, he missed out on what could be a long-term contract and millions more … having to roll the dice on staying healthy enough in 2022 to get another bite of that apple.

Gregory tied his career high with six sacks in 2021 and is seen as a dynamic force. The Cowboys could use the tag here as they did twice with fellow DeMarcus Lawrence, who was tagged in 2018 and 2019 but who then in April of that year got his five-year, $105 million deal.

The Cowboys hope their loyalty to Gregory through a half-decade of off-field issues will help them settle on a “hometown discount” - something Gregory, 29, has acknowledged as a possibility.

Schultz, 25, plays a position that is easier to fill. But to his credit, in the last two seasons, Schultz has 141 catches for 1,423 yards and 12 TDs.

In the Cowboys' perfect world, both players eventually opt for "team-friendly'' long-term deals, and the angst involved is erased. But for now? Schultz is locked in.

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