Cowboys Contract Update: Does Dallas Really Want to Sign TE Dalton Schultz Long-Term?

Sources indicate to CowboysSI.com that there hasn't been substantial movement in contract talks.

FRISCO - Dalton Schultz of the Dallas Cowboys is the NFL's eighth-best tight end, according to rankings released this week by the analytics company, Pro Football Focus. ... a concept that in theory could give him a little more bargaining power at the contract negotiating table.

Or ... the Cowboys could privately view Schultz as a being in a "prove-it'' situation - or even a "one-and-done'' situation.

We have remarks from teammate Dak Prescott, who recently said of the franchise-tagged tight end: “What he means to this team, his leadership, the role he stepped into to be the guy at tight end and to be a leader of this offense and to make plays.

"He’s a guy that I can count on, that I can trust, and that’s continued to grow and it’s grown through these last few weeks.”

It's notable that Prescott talks about continuing growth with Schultz, due to the fact that the tight end skipped a recent voluntary OTAs (in a protest of sorts of the lack of progress in contract talks) before showing up to this week's minicamp.

But now, two weeks later? Sources indicate to CowboysSI.com that there hasn't been substantial movement in contract talks.

So, no "growth'' there.

With four more weeks off before training camp in Oxnard, Dak plans another get-together with his pass-catchers. Maybe a trip. Maybe hanging out in his football-field backyard. Something. And Schultz will likely be there.

"I think it’s something to break the monotonous cycle, whether it’s the building, whether it’s my field, just get the guys in a different environment, train, make it a little fun, get some camaraderie at the same time,'' said Dak, whose personal confidence level is "through the roof.''

How good is Schultz now? PFF's rankings, which examine the top 15 tight ends in the league, are broken into different tiers. Schultz is placed in tier two, falling into the “tier 1 capabilities, but either lack consistency or have slipped" category.

Says PFF of Schultz: "Schultz was a bit of a surprise breakout in 2021, considering the Cowboys utilized him solely as a blocker in his first two NFL seasons and he was underwhelming when being integrated into the passing game in 2020. The 2018 fourth-round pick took his 63.8 receiving grade in 2020 to 77.4 in 2021, and while he isn’t going to shred single coverage like some of the Tier 1 guys, he can work soft spots against zone coverage and possesses strong hands. He finished top six last year in both drop rate (3.4%) and contested catch rate (63.2%, 12-of-19).''

Schultz receiving numbers have been trending up in each of the past two years. Last season, he caught a career-high 78 passes for 808 yards and eight touchdowns in 17 games. In fact, the Cowboys tight end played 81 percent of the snaps in 2021, which contributed to him earning the second-most targets on the team. That's an argument suggesting he might keep climbing.

But as Schultz is seeking a long-term extension to replace the franchise tag, the Cowboys are mostly waiting. Why? Two obvious conclusions:

One, "waiting'' is what the Cowboys do. "Deadlines make deals,'' as owner Jerry Jones famously says.

Two, as much as they respect the job Schultz does with all his difficult tasks, they aren't full believers in him as an irreplaceable piece worth, say, $14 million APY.

Unless and until talks accelerate, those would be the reasons.

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