Dallas Cowboys TE Depth Shaky For Week 1 After Two Miss Thursday Practice

The Dallas Cowboys have been dealing with injuries at the tight end position since preseason.

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker delivers a stiff arm to Arizona Cardinals safety Kitan Crawford | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At long last, the Dallas Cowboys are on the brink of starting their 2026 regular season with a road matchup against the New York Giants on Sunday night.

The Cowboys head into MetLife Stadium looking relatively healthy across the board, allowing fans to get a full look at Dallas' elite offense and revamped defense.

However, the Cowboys' health at tight end was a storyline to watch during the preseason and that's continuing headed into Week 1.

Injury Updates for Cowboys TEs Michael Trigg, Luke Schoonmaker

Dallas Cowboys tight end Michael Trigg (46) goes through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cowboys' tight end depth is in question before the team boards the flight to East Rutherford.

During Thursday's practice, Dallas tight end Luke Schoonmaker was not in attendance, per reports from Tommy Yarrish of Cowboys.com. It's unclear if Schoonmaker's absence is injury related or not, but it leaves his availability against the Giants up in the air.

On top of that, practice squad tight end Michael Trigg was off to the side doing rehab as he recovers from a toe injury, according to Yarrish.

The Cowboys will of course lean on Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford at tight end both in Week 1 and beyond, but the depth at that spot continues to be something to watch.

Trigg offers some intriguing upside as a pass-catcher, something that fans got a glimpse of during the preseason opener when he had four catches for 30 yards in a 17-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

Other Depth Options at Tight End for Dallas

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on during the game between the Cowboys and the Saints at AT&T Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Along with Trigg's toe injury, the Cowboys also lost Princeton Fant to a season-ending torn ACL during training camp along with DJ Rogers to an MCL sprain.

Both players are currently on injured reserve for Dallas.

Their injuries led to the Cowboys signing Mitch Van Vooren during the preseason but he was waived during 53-man roster cuts.

If Schoonmaker and Trigg remain sidelined, this leaves the Cowboys with only one healthy tight end off the practice squad in James Mitchell, who signed with Dallas on Sept. 3. The former fifth-round pick in 2022 played in five games with the Carolina Panthers last season

With 35 games of NFL experience under his belt, Mitchell is an interesting candidate to be called up from the practice squad if the Cowboys want to carry three tight ends on the roster against the Giants, joining Ferguson and Spann-Ford.

The Cowboys and Giants will kick off from MetLife Stadium on Sunday night at 7:20 p.m. CT.

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