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Cowboys Need A Game-Changer At Tight End In Roster Update

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Mar 8, 2025 10:28 AM ET

Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker will enter the 2025 season with a lot on the line regarding his NFL career with the NFC East franchise.

A second-round pick, that in his two years, hasn't had a full offseason of training to get himself prepared for the year due to injury, now is the time for "Schoony" to show what he's all about.

There were flashes last season, with receiving yards totals of 56, 55, and 33, along with a touchdown in Jake Ferguson's absence, but in his last three games when Ferguson returned, Schoonmaker was invisible, totaling just three receptions for 19 yards.

So that is two seasons in which the Cowboys still don't exactly know what they have in the former Michigan Wolverine, and now might be a good time to find out both for Dallas and Schoonmaker.

Why? Well, we are looking a little ahead here, but there could be the No. 1 tight end spot up for grabs.

Ferguson is the undisputed No. 1 tight end, but he is entering a contract year and will want to prove his worth to Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams.

But there is precedence here, and we look no further than Dalton Schultz, the man Ferguson replaced. Dallas didn't view him as a $10 million APY tight end in 2022 and moved off him, and that was a year removed from 808 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021.

So who is to say that Ferguson, regardless of his season, won't suffer the same fate?

Well, it could all be on Schoonmaker, and it is here where this huge chance comes into it.

Play well enough - or even be a game-changer - so that the Cowboys feel content with letting Ferguson leave, the same way Ferguson gave the front office confidence to move on from Schultz.

And then the No. 1 tight end spot could be his. ... as the Cowboys execute their "draft-and-develop'' mindset with a constant updating of the position.

Yes, we know Schoonmaker hasn't shown anything near good enough to warrant being the starter, but neither did Ferguson, in truth, and it was a leap of faith that paid off.

The 2025 season is a big one for Schoonmaker. Play well to quieten the "bust" talk and perhaps put two hands on a potential No. 1 spot in 2026.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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