We're only one week into the Dallas Cowboys' 2024 OTAs but there might already be a player whose stock is down big time.
After missing the start of last year's offseason due to a foot injury, tight end Luke Schoonmaker is missing the start of OTAs in his second year in the NFL.
Although he was expected to be ready to go from shoulder surgery he received earlier this offseason, Schoonmaker is now dealing with a hamstring injury that's keeping him off the field.
Although fans might be quick to assume it's no biggie - it's only May, after all - coaches are constantly reminding us of how little time there is to develop players in the league and how valuable each OTA install truly is. Once the season comes around, it's all about getting the gameplan down and readying every little detail for gameday.
There's no time for fundamentals once September comes around. Those are worked early on in the year. Missing back-to-back OTAs is a tough way to kickstart an NFL career. Now granted, Schoonmaker has time to be ready to go for training camp, which he missed the start of as a rookie.
ughhh. hard to develop when you're the hurt guy https://t.co/oTl10ZBrlO
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) May 22, 2024
In the grand scheme of things, this is far from the biggest problem the Cowboys are facing ahead of the 2024 season. However, from Schoonmaker's point of view, it is a big deal considering the context of the tight end room, which could lead to his injury snowballing into a bigger problem.
Luke Schoonmaker could be pushed off of Cowboys' TE2 role
Even though the Cowboys picked him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Schoonmaker's role as TE2 is far from a guarantee in a loaded group of tight ends. Jake Ferguson has etched his name in stone as the starter of the bunch and is quickly rising through the NFL ranks as one of the top players at his position.
But behind him, apart from Schoonmaker, are John Stephens Jr., Peyton Hendershot, Princeton Fant, and undrafted rookies Brevyn Spann-Ford and Alec Holler.
As for Stephens Jr., he lit it up in last year's camp and preseason and the Cowboys have since confirmed he was set to make the 53-man roster before a season-ending injury. We know for a fact they like the player.
Hendershot has experience on the offense and has shown flashes of his best version throughout the years. Additionally, Spann-Ford was one of the highest-paid UDFAs across the league this year and is a legitimate candidate to earn a big role on offense thanks to his value as a run blocker.
More than an attempt to hype up the position group, the point I'm trying to make here is that Schoonmaker faces a lot of competition for the TE2 role and not being around for installs isn't a great situation for him,
This will be one of the most fun positios to monitor once camp gets going as there will be a battle for TE2 as well as one for who stays on the roster in the first place. Hopefully, Schoonmaker can join the rest of the group soon enough.
