Cowboys for Life? Dalton Schultz 'Long-Term' Plan Offers Clarity

"He represents everything we want in a Dallas Cowboy, on and off the field," Stephen Jones said Tuesday.

The Dallas Cowboys enter training camp in Oxnard, Calif. this week knowing that tight end Dalton Schultz will be a major part of the team’s receiving corps for at least this season.

But what about beyond that? As the 26-year-old prepares to play on the franchise tag starting this fall, his looming exit next offseason remains on the minds of the front office.

But COO Stephen Jones isn’t spending time worrying about Schultz’s future with the team. Once the time comes, he seems confident a deal will get done that will make the fifth-year tight end a Cowboy for years to come.

"So it's not that we didn't want him on a long-term deal,” Jones said Tuesday. “It's just about getting to the right answer on that. And I think we ultimately will. I think Dalton's going to be a long-term Cowboy here.”

As Schultz plays on the $10.9 million franchise tag, he’ll to look to replicate the play in 2021 that put him on the rise as of the league’s best tight ends. He had the third-most catches (78), the sixth-most receiving yards (808), and the second-most touchdowns (eight) at his position last season as he built a clear repertoire with quarterback Dak Prescott.

With all the positives, it leaves room to wonder why Dallas didn’t jump at the opportunity to extend one of the offense’s most productive players from a season ago. But the process wasn’t that simple, according to Jones.

"We tried," Jones said. "It wasn't that we weren't necessarily talking about a long-term deal. … Sometimes it's just when you're getting your hands around what this team is not only going to look like this year but look like in the future, then you have to play that hand that way. I certainly understand where Dalton's coming from. He represents everything we want in a Dallas Cowboy, on and off the field. …. He's an available player who plays at a high level.”

Schultz has reliable hands and catch ability, making him more of a receiver than the traditional tough-nosed pass-blocking tight ends that the league has seen in years past.

As the Cowboys continue to build off a year that saw them finish with the second-most passing yards per game in the league (282.4), Schultz’s passing-catching prowess will become all the more valuable.

Headed into next offseason, nothing on the roster is guaranteed. But with Schultz heavy on the minds of the entire front office, it’s hard not to see his future in Dallas becoming a top priority once his year on the tag has come and gone. 

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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