Cowboys' Luke Schoonmaker 'Looking Forward' To Potential John Stephens Jr. Return vs. Rams

If there is one player who shudders at the thought of playing in the preseason, it is Dallas Cowboys tight end John Stephens Jr.

Having suffered a torn ACL in preseason games in back-to-back years, Stephens Jr. has been getting his feet underneath him in Oxnard, and has even made some nice plays in practice.

Granted, Dallas will be cautious with its young tight end, but with the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium to open the preseason slate of games, Stephens Jr. might get a handful of snaps.

And fellow tight end Luke Schoonmaker knows what John has to do with any reps he gets.

“I think to make the most of those really,” Schoonmaker said. “He's done such a good job just with working himself back into things and certainly listening to all of the details, the coaching points and then taking that to the field obviously. So I'm excited to see him run around again. I know he's very excited, looking forward to it.”

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer stated that the number of snaps players could have might be around 40 for the three preseason games, so Stephens Jr., if he does suit up, will likely get a handful as he eases his way back into the swing of things.

In his preseason outings, Stephens Jr. posted 62 yards and a touchdown back in 2023, before 74 yards from eight receptions last year, so there is talent ready to be utilized.

Will it be against the Rams? First-teamer Jake Ferguson will sit, and Brevyn Spann-Ford is out hurt, so ...

There's every chance, as this once-promising tight end looks to finally make his mark on the offense.