'Dumb & Dumber': Odell Beckham Jr., Dalton Schultz, the Cap, & Cowboys Future at Tight End

Are the Dallas Cowboys preparing for life without tight end Dalton Schultz?

The Dallas Cowboys (8-3) are locked into an NFC East division race with their rival Philadelphia Eagles as they try and capture the franchise's first Lombardi Trophy since the 90s ... meaning it is win-now mode in Dallas, especially considering that the offseason will bring a lot of expiring contracts, including tight end Dalton Schultz.

Enter "Dumb & Dumber.''

Tough decisions will have to be made about who will stay and who will go in the offseason. After not agreeing on a long-term extension last offseason, Schultz is playing on a franchise tag, which means he is guaranteed $10.9 million for 2022, making him a top-seven-paid player at his position. 

Cap challenges being what they are, can the Cowboys in 2023 afford to pay Schultz long-term while also re-signing running back Tony Pollard and others? 

The white-hot interest in free-agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. would lead you to believe that the Cowboys are confident in their financial flexibility. But something has to give ... and the emergence of two rookie tight ends helps make a case as to why the Cowboys may not re-sign Schultz.

Jake Ferguson, a fourth-round draft pick, and Peyton Hendershot, an undrafted free agent, are two contributors to a Dallas offense rising to the top of the NFL.

In the Cowboys' 28-20 win on Thanksgiving, both played big roles in multiple tight end formations. Ferguson played 36 snaps, while Hendershot played 20.  Hendershot scored a rushing touchdown on a rare tight end jet run capped by the entire tight end group jumping into the Salvation Army Bucket for a game of gone-viral Whack-a-Mole.

After the celebration, Ezekiel Elliott revealed that while the tight ends have given themselves a dignified nickname (The Four Horsemen''), Ferguson and Henderson - who have become fast friends and constantly hang out together in attached-at-the-hip fashion at The Star - have other monikers.

"We call them 'Dumb & Dumber,'' Zeke said. "Or 'Mary Kate & Ashley.''

On Thursday, Ferguson caught three passes for 57 yards, which included a highlight play of his own as he hurdled a Giants' defender on his 30-yard reception. Dallas also rushed for 169 yards, thanks to the unselfish contributions of the tight ends in the run game. 

"Dumb & Dumber''? In reality, what Dallas has developed here is smart. Affordable rookie contracts represent a key way to "beat the cap'' ... in this case maybe both eventually making Dalton Schultz expendable while making Odell Beckham Jr. affordable.

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