I’ve liked Michael Trigg since Dallas signed him after the draft, and nothing in training camp has changed my mind. If anything, I may be more interested now than I was.
I think I know what everybody is thinking. Every training camp there is a player everyone is talking about. They become a fan favorite after a few good catches show up on social media.
It makes you wonder how other teams missed this player, and most of those stories don’t have a storybook ending.
Michael Trigg could end up being cut, and the team tries to sneak him through to the practice squad. That’s always a nerve-racking time when we think the player is good enough to play. I hope this one is different.
The reason behind this “hope” is I’ve seen this guy play in college and he is the real deal. I knew there was something there before he ever put on a Cowboys’ helmet because I watched his game in person against another Cowboys’ team.
Michael Trigg Can Catch the Football
I think we all knew he could catch, an he has the college production to back it up.
Trigg finished his career with 108 catches for 1,419 yards and 14 touchdowns. In his final season as a Baylor Bear, he showed why he was one of the best tight ends in the country when he had 50 receptions for 694 yards and six touchdowns.
Those are good numbers for a tight end and the yards put him in the top 3 for tight ends in 2025. When those numbers are compared to the college stats of an underachieving tight end on the Dallas Cowboys roster, it should be a no-brainer who the team keeps.
Luke Schoonmaker finished his Michigan career with 54 catches for 637 yards and seven touchdowns. Trigg almost surpassed in all three categories last season alone.
Does that mean Trigg is automatically a better tight end? Of course not. Michigan was a running team and a big part of what Schoonmaker could do was without the football.
We also can’t ignore the difference in production.
Trigg was a weapon at Baylor. The Baylor head coach, Dave Aranda, went as far to say the closest comparison to Trigg in the NFL is Kyle Pitts.
Now, I will not do the thing where I say Michael Trigg will become Kyle Pitts because his college coach thinks their play style and stats were eerily close. What I do care about is the comparison was made.
Baylor was able to move Trigg all over the formation. He didn’t have to stay attached to the offensive line. He was able to play in the slot, move outside, and make the defense decide how to cover him.
I think that is something Dallas could take advantage of once the field starts getting shorter.
Oh, the Red Zone Woes
I’ve talked about the Cowboys red-zone problems before, and I would be perfectly content never writing about them again, but Dallas has to quit giving me material first.
Just to recap, the Cowboys finished 18th in red-zone touchdown percentage last season at 56.9%.
The Cowboys could easily move the football down the field. Getting close wasn’t the issue, finishing the drive was. That’s where I want Trigg to take advantage with the offense.
His scouting report talked about his ability to use his body, and win contested catches over defenders.
We all know Dallas’ receiving core and first-string tight end will demand attention. Throw Trigg into that group and move him around a little, and maybe you will get him on a linebacker or smaller defensive back.
I don’t know what Brian Schottenheimer would do with him, but I’d like him to have the option. Dallas has kicked enough field goals for my liking.
There’s A Reason Michael Trigg Wasn’t Drafted
Michael Trigg was a tricky one for most draft experts. I read he could have gone from the third through the seventh round of the NFL Draft. We all know he went undrafted and was a priority free agent for the Cowboys.
Trigg went undrafted for a reason and that was his blocking, which is almost none existent. I didn’t find many old scouting reports that had any positive things to say about this area of his game.
From pad level, hand placement, strength, and whether he could hold up against NFL defenders. These were all big question marks.
This is the part that I don’t like writing because this guy has a lot of potential as a receiver, but if Trigg can’t learn how to block, I don’t know if the Cowboys will keep him on the 53.
Think about it. If a defensive coordinator sees Trigg on the field and knows he can’t block, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out a pass play is most likely happening. This creates a major issue in the offensive game plan.
But I did find a silver lining. Zach Wolchuck of 105.3 The Fan reported that Trigg looked better as a blocker during these early stages of training camp.
That’s the development I want to hear.
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