Cowboys Make Camp Move on Rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker

Luke Schoonmaker was drafted for a reason, right? Right. But he will nevertheless start Cowboys camp here in Oxnard on the Non-Football Injury List.

OXNARD, Calif. - Amid all the "Four Horsemen'' excitement leading up to Dallas Cowboys training camp in Oxnard comes a setback: The rookie isn't ready.

With Jake Ferguson, Peyton Hendershot and Sean McKeon all vying for snaps this season, the battle figures to be one that we will measure day by day, even snap by snap as we observe the work of the self-dubbed "Four Horsemen.''

Ferguson looms as the one who will get first crack at the starting job. But Luke Schoonmaker was drafted for a reason, right? Right. But he will nevertheless start camp here in Oxnard on the Non-Football Injury List as a result of a foot problem that had him in a boot for part of minicamps.

Before the NFL Draft, when "Schoon'' was taken in the second round, coach Mike McCarthy broke down for us what he's looking for in a tight end. He talked of "the traditional Y position'' (lined up next to a tackle), and of "being a movement player'' and of "being a receiver.”

Said the coach: “It’s about matchups. You’re always trying to create favorable matchups for your players.”

McCarthy often talks about filling his roster with "as many 6-4, 250-pound men who can play on four downs'' as possible. He's not just talking about linebackers there, but ... that body type fits Ferguson, Hendershot and McKeon. Now along comes Schoonmaker with a lot to prove, but at 6-5 and 250? That's a start.

Replacing Schultz's production (577 yards, five touchdowns last season) will be a key emphasis during training camp with Ferguson and Hendershot combining for 277 yards and four touchdowns on 30 receptions last season. Both showed flashes, but that's all they were, flashes.

Schoonmaker's numbers? The Michigan tight end totaled 637 yards and seven touchdowns in four years for the Wolverines, so they don't jump off the page. But obviously, having him emerge eventually is the plan.he could be seen as an option to take over the No. 1 mantle and given his high draft status, that would make sense.

In truth, replacing Schultz will likely be done by all four "Horsemen," but someone needs to be the leader of the room. Will it be Ferguson, Schoonmaker or another candidate? At training camp, we will get some answers. .. but not until "Schoon'' gets back on the roster.

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