Cowboys Use Franchise Tag on Tight End

DALLAS – The Dallas Cowboys have used the franchise tag to keep an offensive weapon around for another year.

The Cowboys have tagged tight end Dalton Schultz in hopes of locking the pass catcher up in a long-term deal. The franchise tag basically locks up one player for another year with a fully guaranteed contract if team and player cannot work out a contract. Schultz is looking to make just under $11 million this upcoming season.

Drafted in 2018, Schultz did not make an impact for the first two years he was in the NFL catching a combined 13 passes or 122 yards.

After Jason Witten left the Cowboys for the Raider, Blake Jarwin was set to take the tight end 1 job. Even though all Jarwin had done was shown flashes, the Cowboys rewarded him with a 3-year contract extension but in the 2020 season opener, he torn his ACL leaving the job open for Dalton Schultz.

Schultz did not look back on his way to putting up 68 catches for 615 yards and 4 touchdowns and continuing his rise in 2021 with 78 catches for 808 yards and 8 touchdowns.

This offseason, wide receivers Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson are set to be free agents and if recent talks are to be believed, Amari Cooper won’t be back with the team. That would leave CeeDee Lamb, Malik Turner, and Simi Fehoko as the other viable options. Add in Blake Jarwin’s surgery that will cause him to miss the start of the season and the Cowboys were in quite the predicament.