Sometimes, teams like the Dallas Cowboys just have the good fortune of scouting and drafting certain positions successfully.
For Dallas, the conversation at the tight end position starts with the future Hall of Famer Jason Witten. Makes sense, right? But there were others.
Martellus Bennett, Gavin Escobar (rip), Geoff Swaim, and Blake Jarwin contributed to the team at varying levels.
More recently, Dalton Shultz carried the load in the spotlight before pitching the ball into the sure hands of Jake Ferguson. Fergie has been on an upward trend throughout this season. The more opportunities he gets, the better he looks.
However, the former Wisconsin Badger isn’t the problem.
It has been great having the top guy at the position be so reliable, but my heart is set on having that two-man combination. The guy who comes in when we need two tight ends on the field gets the attention today.
Luke Schoonmaker has been average at best.
However, a familiar face is returning to the field and hopefully is ready to build on the progress from last year.
Is it too soon to talk about Peyton Hendershot? Maybe, but he returned from IR on Wednesday and opened his 21-day practice window.
Not to mention, he is a welcomed face back to the conversation.
Getting Peyton Hendershot back will be a boost to the tight end group
A boost is an understatement.
As I mentioned, Dallas has yet to get literally anything from their 2nd round pick from 2023. Give Schoonmaker some credit and a little grace. He got a touchdown against the Jets, and he is a rookie.
Unfortunately, none helps this team move the needle this year. Luke was supposed to be an all-around type of tight end.
To be frank, no one believed Luke would walk in the door and make an immediate impact. But we did think he would help in the blocking aspect of the offense.
According to Pro Football Focus, his blocking grades have been 52 for run blocking and 61.6 for pass blocking.
Hendershot provided similar blocking results last year but at least provided a passing threat.
No one knows what you are going to get from a player who gets plugged into the team in the middle of the season. All you can rely on is what he has done in the past.
If that is the case, I’m taking that every day of the week and twice on Sundays over what we’ve seen thus far from Schoonmaker.
Last season, Peyton proved to have good enough hands and even better ability to get down the field, similar to a receiver.
I read somewhere on Twitter/X, whatever we call it these days, that some fans would prefer to have elevated Martavius Bryant versus Hendershot to the active roster.
Being the 3rd guy on the depth chart last season left Hendershot in the cold most games so the statistics won’t be Earth-shattering.
In normal cases, our expectations are for a player returning from an ankle injury. But you’ve seen the ball fight against Schoonmaker’s hands, right?
Dallas, unfortunately, doesn’t have that luxury.
With the rushing attack lacking, giving Dak another threat in the middle of the field is vital
Admittedly, Peyton received 15 targets last season and hauled in 11.
It’s not necessarily about the numbers as much as it is about where he made the impact throughout the season.
Against the Giants last season on Monday Night Football, he was athletic enough to motion and execute a wheel route to perfection for a significant gain.
He ran the same route against the Jaguars but took it up the field instead of cutting it off.
That loss still stings, but his ability to create mismatch situations with linebackers is something that Dallas could surely use.
When Hendershot and Ferguson were on the field together, you saw the symmetry between the two of them.
Maybe it was the fact that they were rookies together or because they played the same position or some built bonds that transfer to the field.
I’m going with the latter. They were an exciting tandem last year that exhibited youth, athleticism, and a sneak peek of the future.
Well, the future is now, and with Hendershot back it’s time for the duo to elevate the tight end group to new heights and pick up where they left off.
