Cowboys Dak Prescott Fix: TE Dalton Schultz as Early X-Factor at Bucs

Dallas tight end Dalton Schultz may be a poised for a big performance against Tampa Bay on Monday. ... and a big fix to Dak Prescott's issues.

The Dallas Cowboys have seen their share of standout performers both on offense and defense throughout 2022.

As they look to keep pace with quarterback Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their Wild Card weekend showdown at Raymond James Stadium on Monday, they may be poised for a stellar offensive output from tight end Dalton Schultz. ...

And it might be clever and wise for coach Mike McCarthy and staff to consider Schultz early - as a way to bust their QB out of his slump.

Though quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Tony Pollard and wideout CeeDee Lamb have been the proverbial toasts of the town for much of the year, Schultz has played his best football in the home stretch. ... while at the same time Dak - the NFL interception leader with 15 in just 12 games - has dipped.

After setting career-highs in nearly every offensive category in 2021, a nagging knee injury slowed his production a bit this year. However, Schultz finished the season with a handful of strong performances, including a 10-catch (two of which went for touchdowns), 56-yard outing during Dallas’ victory over the Tennessee Titans in Week 17. In the season finale against the Washington Commanders, the 26-year-old caught four of nine targets for 33 yards.

Still, as the Cowboys head into their Wild Card round clash with the Buccaneers, the tight end will look to match or exceed his production from the teams' Week 1 meeting, when Schultz turned nine targets into seven catches for 62 yards.

Despite the Bucs providing adequate protection against tight ends (ranking 14th in the NFL, while allowing four touchdowns), Schultz is capable of presenting matchup problems for Tampa Bay starting safety Antoine Winfield, Jr. and (if healthy) veteran Logan Ryan.

The 6-5, 244-pound tight end is at his best when utilizing the intermediate area of the field, particularly against teams with difficulty defending it. Schultz is successful when finding space sitting down in soft zones, as well as utilizing flat combinations. When teams attempt to neutralize the middle of the field by taking away slot targets underneath, he often finds room to operate in some catch-and-run situations over the middle. 

While Schultz was already expected to be a notable weapon for Prescott in the red zone, any deficiency in opposing team’s secondaries allows him the opportunity to maneuver in the middle of the field, as well. With star wideout CeeDee Lamb often drawing the attention from opposing perimeter corners, wideouts Michael Gallup and T.Y. Hilton have commanded the attention from remaining members of the secondary, namely slot corners and even safeties. 

If Schultz is given room to make plays in the open field, defenses will surely pay the price. Therefore, Prescott would be smart to utilize him in this fashion, as well as in short-yardage scoring situations. ... and also, of course, as a check-down guy.

But one more thing: Dak's shaky play of late could use a confidence boost, maybe a "muscle-memory'' reminder, at the very start of this game, to get him back in the throwing groove. An "easy'' completion or two to Schultz might actually be the tight end's greatest service to this offense.

Schultz and the Cowboys will begin their postseason pursuit of the Super Bowl at 7:15 p.m. CT on Monday night as they travel to central Florida to take on Brady and the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

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Follow Mike D’Abate on Twitter @mdabateNFL

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