Promising Cowboys TE Warned After Lackluster Performance

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off their first preseason game and one young talent is being criticized after a lackluster performance. The Los Angeles Rams beat the Cowboys in a 13-12 contest, but Dallas tight end Luke Schoonmaker did not make much of an impact during his snaps.

At least, that’s the case Blogging the Boys writer Chris Halling made in a recent article.

“Despite starting at the tight end position for the team’s preseason opener on Sunday, the second-year tight end was the lowest graded pass catcher against the Rams (33.6) as he finished with zero receptions on two targets through 18 total snaps. Schoonmaker needs to step up quickly if he wants to erase the narrative around his draft selection by the Cowboys,” Halling wrote on August 13.

Schoonmaker was a second-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft. A year and change later, the selection is looking like a huge reach. That is partially because starting TE Jake Ferguson took a big step forward last fall, but Schoonmaker has yet to find a way to establish his value ahead of his second NFL season.

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Schoonmaker’s First Season in Dallas

Schoonmaker is a perfect example of a draft pick based on his traits rather than his stats. While the tight end was at Michigan, he never put together an eye-popping campaign. In fact, Sports Reference shows that his best season featured 418 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns.

However, his athleticism despite having a 6’5″ and 250-pound frame made him a highly-touted NFL prospect. The Cowboys took their chance with the 58th overall pick as a way to replace Dalton Schultz.

Schoonmaker was able to avoid any injury setbacks as a rookie, playing all 17 regular-season games for Dallas. However, he only appeared in 31% of the team’s offensive snaps. He struggled to find opportunities, but he also struggled to make the most of the ones he had.

Schoonmaker was targeted 15 times in 2023, catching 8 passes for 65 yards and 2 touchdowns. However, the stat that sticks out like a sore thumb was his drops. The former Wolverine dropped 3 passes, meaning that 20% of his targets were dropped.

It’s hard to defend that and was part of the reason Peyton Hendershot played a similar rate of snaps. The silver lining is that Schoonmaker’s two TDs are already proof that he can be a redzone menace.

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Cowboys Could Cut Peyton Hendershot

Speaking of Hendershot, he is also in a less-than-ideal position. After a promising first season, the third-year TE was recently named a cut candidate. The Cowboys will have to shave the roster down to 53 players, and BTB writer Jess Haynie doesn’t think he makes it.

“To keep three QBs and six WRs we had to go shorter somewhere else, which cost Brevyn Spann-Ford his roster spot from the last projection,” Haynie wrote on August 4. “Dallas should be able to carry him and Peyton Hendershot on the practice squad and use them on game days as needed.”

Hendershot could provide value from the practice squad and likely won’t get picked up on the waiver wire. Either way, it appears that his future at Cowboys Stadium is murky.

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