Luke Schoonmaker Misses Cowboys Practice For Personal Reason

FRISCO, Texas — Dallas Cowboys tight end Luke Schoonmaker did not practice Thursday for a personal reason. Dallas added him to the NFL practice report as a non-participant and listed the absence as not injury related.

Wednesday’s report did not include him. The Cowboys open the regular season Sunday night against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., in the first “Sunday Night Football” game of 2026.

Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com reported early Thursday afternoon that Schoonmaker was not at practice. Practice squad tight end Michael Trigg worked off to the side on rehab for a toe injury, Yarrish reported.

Dallas drafted Schoonmaker out of Michigan in the second round in 2023, 58th overall. He is in the final year of his rookie contract and turns 28 on Sept. 28.

Since the draft, Schoonmaker has played in all 51 of the Cowboys’ regular-season games and made 13 starts. Last season, he caught 14 of 23 targets for 132 yards and no touchdowns in 7 starts. His 391 offensive snaps were 33% of the team’s total, and he played 241 more on special teams.

As a rookie in 2023, he caught 8 passes for 65 yards and 2 touchdowns. He caught 27 passes for 241 yards and 1 touchdown in 2024.

Dallas Cowboys Kept Three Tight Ends On 53-Man Roster

Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford are the other two tight ends on the active roster. Ferguson caught 82 passes for 600 yards and 8 touchdowns in 17 games last season. Spann-Ford caught 9 passes for 90 yards and 1 touchdown. Dallas signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Minnesota in 2024.

On Aug. 22 at Arizona, Ferguson and Spann-Ford sat out under the plan Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer laid out in early August to hold his starters out of the preseason. Schoonmaker dressed for that game and the preseason opener at Seattle. He sat out the Aug. 28 finale at AT&T Stadium, as did Ferguson and Spann-Ford.

During training camp in Oxnard, California, Schoonmaker worked mostly with the second and third teams behind Spann-Ford, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reported in August.

Princeton Fant is out for the season. He tore the ACL and partially tore the MCL in his left knee on Aug. 3, during the first padded practice of camp.

Two tight ends are on the practice squad, Trigg and James Mitchell. Dallas waived Trigg, an undrafted rookie from Baylor, at the Aug. 30 cutdown and re-signed him to the practice squad the next day. Trigg hurt the toe in the Aug. 15 preseason opener at Seattle. He caught 4 of 5 targets for 30 yards on 32 offensive snaps in that game.

Mitchell signed Sept. 3. He was a fifth-round pick in 2022, 177th overall, out of Virginia Tech. He has 16 receptions for 169 yards and 1 touchdown in 35 regular-season games with two teams. Teams can elevate up to two practice squad players to the active roster each week.

Ajani Cornelius Limited Again On Thursday Practice Report

Offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius (knee) was limited for a second straight day. Defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard (groin) was a full participant again. Schoonmaker, Cornelius, and Bullard are the only three Cowboys on the report.

Cornelius was a sixth-round pick out of Oregon in 2025, 204th overall, and finished his rookie season on injured reserve with a knee injury. He has been on and off the Cowboys’ injury list since late July.

Bullard returned to the practice field Monday after working with the rehabilitation group as recently as Sept. 1. Dallas signed him in free agency this offseason.

Tyler Smith is not on the report. Dallas moved the left guard to reserve/injured-designated for return Wednesday, a day after he had surgery to repair a ligament in his left thumb. The designation requires him to miss at least four games.

All five Giants on the report were full participants for a second straight day. That group includes wide receiver Malik Nabers (knee), who tore his ACL in Week 4 last season and has not played since. Giants coach John Harbaugh said Wednesday that Nabers practiced in full and took contact.

The final injury report, with game designations, is due Friday. Kickoff at MetLife Stadium is set for 7:20 p.m. CT Sunday on NBC.