The Dallas Cowboys drafted Dalton Schultz in the fourth-round of the 2018 NFL Draft with the hope he would develop into a starting caliber tight end for them at some point down the road. Sadly, it’s starting to look less and less as if that’s going to happen. In fact, his time with the Cowboys could be running out.
Despite entering Year 3 and being the only TE to be drafted on the Cowboys current roster, Dalton Schultz could very well be looking down the barrel of a loaded gun. Blake Jarwin was re-signed to replace Jason Witten as the starter and Blake Bell was added via free agency to likely become his primary backup. That could leave Schultz left out in the cold once again.
To date, Schultz has primarily been a depth player with the Dallas Cowboys. He did climb as high as the TE2 for a brief time in the latter part of 2018 after Geff Swaim went down with an injury, but his opportunities and playing time has been few and far between. As such, he’s still a bit of an unknown and with the new coaching staff that could be a good or bad thing.
Mike McCarthy’s new coaching staff brings with them a fresh set of eyes that could give Dalton Schultz the opportunity to finally prove himself worthy of receiving more playing time. The skill set is there. In fact, I believe he’s the most complete TE on the Dallas Cowboys roster right now. Sadly, I don’t know if it’s enough to warrant more playing time.
On the flipside, the new coaching staff might have already made up their minds about the type of player they have in Dalton Schultz. Promoting Blake Jarwin to starter and signing Blake Bell in free agency would certainly seem to back up that stance. Then again, maybe they’re just covering their bases and will have an open competition.
A clean slate could be the opportunity Dalton Schultz has been waiting for, if it happens. He’s still got an uphill battle ahead of him, but again, it’s not something he’s unaccustomed to dealing with. That’s been the story of his entire professional career to date. All he can do now is put his best foot forward in the hopes he can prove he’s worthy of more playing time.
You may disagree, but I believe he’s more than capable of producing at a relatively high level if he’s ever given the opportunity. I think he’s a better blocker than Blake Jarwin and a better receiver than Blake Bell. That’s just my opinion though for what it’s worth.
I don’t know about you, but I’m still holding out hope Dalton Schultz can develop into a starting caliber player for the Dallas Cowboys. However, the clock is ticking and could quite possibly be running out in the very near future.
