On Tuesday, the Houston Texans solidified tight end Dalton Schultz as a part of their future, signing him to a three-year, $36 million extension.
Schultz was coming off of the second-most productive season of his career, making good on a one-year deal that brought him to Houston. He spent the first five years of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, hauling in touchdown passes from quarterback Dak Prescott.
Having signed his contract and not having to worry about the consequences of his comments playing poorly on the open market, he took the time to open up about his past experiences in the league.
On “The Pat McAfee Show,” Schultz compared his Texans tenure with his time with the Cowboys and compared the two organizations.
“That was one of the first things that stuck out to me. It feels much more like – I don’t want to say college because it’s not – but the focus [in Houston] is just football, you know what I mean?” Schultz said. “I’m going back and telling some people about being around the Cowboys practice facility and gameday and describing some of the interactions and stuff that you see on a day-to-day basis and it surprises a lot of people.
“They’re like, ‘Holy crap, that actually happens at a practice facility?’ You think it’s normal and then you come to a place like this.”
Schultz would go on to compare the Dallas weight room to a zoo in the ways they were watched by fans seemingly all the time.
That, of course, is a creature of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ creation. For better or worse, all eyes are on Dallas, all the time. It’s one hell of a way to make a profit, though some argue it takes away from the chances of meeting expectations the media sets for them
“It’s different,” Schultz continued. “That’s the brand they’ve built, that’s what Jerry likes, that’s the way they run things. And there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just you don’t realize how many eyeballs that, how much that could maybe distract from stuff in the locker room until you go somewhere else.”
On the field at least, Schultz shouldn’t have any reservations about his free-agent decisions. Dallas is faring well at tight end – Jake Ferguson is very good in his own right — but Schultz and quarterback C.J. Stroud have formed a connection in the middle of an ascending offense.
In 2023, Schultz caught 59 of 88 targets for 635 yards and five touchdowns. It was his second-best year in terms of yards, yards per target, and touchdowns and he became more of a downfield threat, averaging the most yards per catch (10.8) of his career.
With how promising the Texans looked and the resources they have at their disposal, Schultz is well-positioned to be a key contributor to a contending force in the AFC for years to come.
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