Cowboys Luke Schoonmaker Reacts to 'Football Excitement' After Injury

Dallas Cowboys rookie tight end Luke Schoonmaker has been a slow burn this offseason as he dealt with a plantar fasciitis injury that had him sidelined for a large portion of training camp.

Over the last few weeks, Schoonmaker has been making good progress and has played limited roles in both of Dallas' preseason losses to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Seattle Seahawks.

After such a long layoff, naturally, the former Michigan Wolverine was happy to get back to doing what he does best - playing football.

“Being away from it for six or seven months and really just rehabbing, it so exciting to finally get back out there,” Schoonmaker said. “To be able to first jog around in walkthroughs, then to come out to practice and move around like I used to. It definitely brings an excitement and definitely got me going.”

For rookies, coming into an NFL environment with the prospect of trying to make the final roster can be a daunting one. For Schoonmaker, while his spot on the roster was never really in doubt being a second-round pick, the fact he couldn't participate in OTAs, minicamp, and a big portion of training camp meant he had to take mental reps on the sidelines instead of "learning on the job."

But those were the cards that were dealt to Schoonmaker, and he admitted that not being able to play football was certainly a struggle that he had to come to grips with.

“It was hard, the challenge was just being patient,” Schoonmaker said. “Finding things off the field to do with myself, taking take of the rest of my body, making sure I’m in the playbook, things like that.”

Now, with two preseason games under his belt that saw him grab a total of three receptions for 30 yards, Schoonmaker is getting his feet underneath him in Mike McCarthy's "Texas Coast Offense."

Of course, having a player like quarterback Dak Prescott has made the transition a little easier for Schoonmaker as he looks to make his mark during his rookie campaign.

“I’ve been learning so much from him,” Schoonmaker said. “His level of expertise and leadership, too, I mean, he really knows everyone’s job, it’s second nature to him. Whenever I can, just listening to him and understanding the big picture with plays, it's been such a big help.”

With a young tight end room dubbed "The Four Horsemen," the job of replacing Dalton Schultz, who left via free agency to the Houston Texans, will be a job for the entire group that includes Jake Ferguson, Peyton Hendershot, and Sean McKeon.

While some have question marks over what kind of production the unit can have in Schultz's absence, there is little doubt from inside the building about what the group can amount to this season.

The Four Horseman appear ready to ride into New York in Week 1 and bring the excitement levels of Cowboy nation to fever pitch.

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