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When the Dallas Cowboys opted to use a second-round pick on Michigan tight end Luke Schoonmaker in the 2023 NFL draft, there were a number of ways to look at it. Maybe it showed a lack of confidence in Jake Ferguson, who was the team’s fourth-round pick the previous year. Maybe it was just a reflection of the increasing importance of versatile tight ends. Either way, it would have been difficult to foresee that just 10 months later, Schoonmaker would be the subject of Cowboys trade talk.
That’s how Bleacher Report has tabbed Schoonmaker as the 2024 NFL offseason gets underway. He is listed among the Cowboys’ top trade assets.
As B/R wrote: “2023 second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker could become a valuable trade chip because of his draft status. With Jake Ferguson (761 yards, 5 TDs) emerging as an upper-tier receiving tight end in 2023, flipping Dallas’ developmental tight end to help address other areas of need would be quite logical.”
And there is even a team ID’d that would make sense in a Schoonmaker deal: the Miami Dolphins.
Cowboys Trade Could Make up for Poor 2023 Draft
Indeed, Schoonmaker is part of a 2023 draft class for the Cowboys that was widely lampooned for its lack of production last season. The rookies the Cowboys relied on most were undrafted, like lineman T.J. Bass and fullback Hunter Luepke. First-rounder Mazi Smith made little impact, and fourth-round defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko Jr. did not play a snap.
Third-round pick DeMarvion Overshown missed the entire year with an ACL tear. Schoonmaker played in 17 games but made just eight catches for 65 yards on the year. While SI.com did not tar Schoonmaker as a bust, it suggested others were doing so, writing, “his rookie season has some labeling the second-round pick a ‘draft bust’.”
If Ferguson is going to be The Man at the tight end spot, maybe the Cowboys would be wise to cash in Schoonmaker for a draft pick here in 2024, and address a need that way. A third-rounder for Schoonmaker would give the Cowboys another chance at adding a contributor.
“(Dolphins coach) Mike McDaniel needs a well-rounded tight end for his offense to work best,” Bleacher Report noted. “If they were to find a way to acquire Luke Schoonmaker they would have one the coaching staff could mold to fit their offense. As Knox noted, the Cowboys don’t have as much need for Schoonmaker with Jake Ferguson’s breakout campaign.”
Mike McCarthy Was High on Luke Schoonmaker
Now, presumably, coach and play-caller Mike McCarthy would have some say in whether Schoonmaker is trade bait or returns next season. The Cowboys have plenty of areas to fix, but dealing away Schoonmaker would be tough considering that McCarthy was high on him after picking him last year.
“This is an excellent tight end class,” McCarthy said during last year’s NFL draft. “I think they all have specific skills, and what I really liked about Luke was that he was really well-rounded. We like everything about his physical traits, but his ability to play the Y position and off-the-ball; his vertical presence, we think we can really build off of that.
“As a play-caller and a game plan designer, these tight ends allow you to get in different personnel groups and get creative to be able to attack in a one-back, two-back, no-back offense.”
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