The 4 best surprises for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020

The Dallas Cowboys had some major surprises in 2020. Here are four.

Sitting in mid-December with a record of 4-9 and currently occupying last place in the dreadful NFC East division, there doesn’t seem to be many reasons to be very happy about the state of the Dallas Cowboys this year. Bah humbug!

Yet, the Cowboys have had some positive surprises in what has become yet another lost season. With an eye on the holidays, here are four of the best surprise gifts America’s Team unwrapped in 2020.

Dalton Schultz, TE

Losing starting tight end and heir apparent to Jason Witten in Blake Jarwin to a season-ending ACL injury in the Cowboys’ Week One matchup against the Los Angeles Rams seemed like the cruelest trick the Grinch ever pulled.

That left the Cowboys with former fourth-rounder Dalton Schultz to take his place. And while Schultz was coming off a terrific showing in training camp, there were some early concerns he might not even make it past final cuts.

The return of Witten from retirement in 2019 seemed to negatively impact Schultz the most. The 24-year old saw his offensive snaps drop from 300 as a rookie to a mere 117 in his second season. Last year, Schultz was non-existent when it came to offensive production as he was only targeted twice all season.

But the injury to Jarwin opened the door for Schultz. And the third-year tight end out of Stanford has made the most of that opportunity. Racking up 51 receptions off 73 targets for 510 yards and three touchdowns, Schultz has emerged as a promising young prospect knocking on the door of real stardom.