The departure of tight end Dalton Schultz, one of Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott's top targets, to the Houston Texans this offseason on a one-year, $6.3 million deal in free agency, opened up an offensive need. That led to team owner and general manager Jerry Jones selecting Michigan senior tight end Luke Schoonmaker with their second-round selection, the 58th overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Schoonmaker is the Cowboys' highest-drafted tight end since Gavin Escobar went 47th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft. He set or tied numerous career highs during his senior season with the Wolverines with 35 receptions, 418 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in an offense built around grounding Big Ten opponents into submission with their run game.
However, Dallas had yet to observe the full potential of its rookie tight end yet at training camp, placing him on the active/non-football injury list on July 28 because of a foot injury, plantar fasciitis specifically, that he was dealing with prior to his time with the Silver and Blue. The Cowboys PR department announced that Schoonmaker is now off the list, allowing him to practice in a limited fashion for the first time all training camp.
"I think like any of these situations, the ramp-up is part of the beginning of camp for a reason," McCarthy said Monday. "Any time a player comes off NFI or PUP [physically unable to perform], we'll put him through the workload capacity of a ramp-up. We'll see him in individuals drills, so he'll have a detailed worksheet each and every day to get him back. He obviously won't be full go."
Even though Monday is his training camp debut, there was still value for for Schoonmaker being out in Oxnard prior to Monday in the eyes of his quarterback Dak Prescott.
"Mentally, just have to make sure he's getting reps," Prescott said. "I've been talking with him and making sure he's been able to get in on some walkthroughs to allow him to get mental reps and get a feel for what we're doing in this offense. The guy has to take care of his body and get himself right. The last thing you want a guy to do is rush through something and then not be available for this team. I trust in our training staff and the plan they have for him... That position group, he'll come in and help it one way or another. I know how talented he is and what he's done in his past. When he's healthy and can get out there, we'll find a way for him."
Mental reps were critical for Prescott in Cowboys training camps past while missing time with a shoulder injury and an ankle injury as well as in 2016 when he was the third-string quarterback behind Tony Romo and Kellen Moore.
"I went through a camp two years ago where I didn't get any camp reps [while dealing with a shoulder injury], but I took mental reps time and time again," Prescott said. "It benefitted me as we moved forward. My first camp, that's what it was for me. Two physical reps and a lot of mental reps. Those mental reps will pay off. There's times when you get in there and you have to slow your mind down because you've been so ahead of it mentally. Every rep is your rep. Just because you're not in there doesn't mean you shouldn't be looking at the defense and making the call in your head.
"He's [Schoonmaker] a mature guy. He's been doing it. That's going to allow that whole process to speed back up and he can get back in there physically."
Schoonmaker is set to rejoin an inexperienced tight end group comprised of 2022 fourth-round pick Jake Ferguson (19 catches, 174 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in career), 2022 undrafted free agent Peyton Hendershot (11 catches, 103 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in career), and 25-year-old Sean McKeon (two catches and 11 receiving yards in career).
"We'll see," McCarthy said when asked how far behind he is compared to the other tight ends at this point in camp. "Every guy is different. Every guy's injury is different. He's been in the classroom the whole time, and he seems to have a relatively high understanding of what is being asked of him. I think the key is seeing if he can apply and get up to speed with the game."
Regardless of who comes out on top in the team's tight end competition, multiple players at the position are expected to see the field because of McCarthy's high regard for the position's usefulness.
"I think if you look at the history of the tight end position in the passing game, going back to the early days of the West Coast offense [the style McCarthy runs], it starts right here," Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said Monday. "The completion percentage and the connection every quarterback has with his tight end, you look through history and some the current quarterback-tight end relationships and how productive they are, the ability to be on the same page. They're tight windows, but they are also shorter throws, bigger targets. We really like our group. We think they all have something to offer. Look at the youth of our room. All of them need to play this preseason. I'm excited to see them play."
