Even Dalton Schultz thinks the Cowboys were better with Amari Cooper

On Monday, the Dallas Cowboys officially began their offseason programming. Although some players have been at The Star for a couple of weeks doing what they’ve called “Captain’s Workouts,” the spring workout program officially began on April 18. On day one, attendance is technically voluntary, but a lot of players showed up anyway. This is a time for Cowboys to do limited strength and conditioning workouts as well as physical rehabilitation. On-field work will begin in two weeks.

One player in attendance today was recently franchise-tagged tight end, Dalton Schultz. The 25-year-old spoke with the media as he headed into work out and had a lot of interesting things to say. One thing he was asked about was the state of the receiving corps after the many moves from this offseason.

To refresh, the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns in order to free up cap space. Then, they let solid WR4 Cedrick Wilson go to the Dolphins. Instead of using the saved money from Cooper’s contract to get a solidified starting WR, they added James Washington who will likely be seen as more of a depth player. To add further insult to injury, Dallas recently let backup Malik Turner sign with the 49ers despite openly admitting they needed receiver help. So not only is Dallas lacking a WR1, but it’s also missing the depth it needs for the long haul.

Schultz was candid about the topic. He openly told reporters that the team was better with Cooper. The tight end went into the cliche mentality that the next person in line has to step up, but right now that line is very short! Michael Gallup is still recovering from ACL surgery. James Washington was a gamble. That just leaves Noah Brown and Simi Fehoko who barely played offensive snaps last year. Guys needing to step up is a nice leadership sentiment, but expecting Fehoko or Brown to be the next Cooper is a bit far-fetched.

It’s certainly jarring to hear from your own starting tight end that there seems to be no plan in place for replacing a guy that Schultz himself thought made the team better.

Dalton Schultz told reporters he wants to stay with the Cowboys long term when talking to the press ahead of spring programming

Despite it all, Schultz seems happy to be a Cowboy. He’s committed to continuing to be a reliable receiving asset for the team while the organization figures out its wide receiver situation. Schultz also told reporters that he put on five to six pounds this offseason to help him gain some mass. The tight end hopes it’ll help him “hold [his] own a little more” in the blocking game.

In terms of his situation with the franchise, Schultz made it sound like he wants to remain in Dallas long-term. As of now, the Stanford product remains on a one-year franchise tag deal. He and the front office have until July 15 to work out a long-term deal. If they don’t, Schultz will automatically remain on the current one-year franchise tag contract worth $10.9 million.

It will be interesting to see whether Jerry and Stephen Jones make a push to make this happen. It’s been quite the disappointing offseason, but making a longer deal with Schultz could be a smart move. The tight end seems to think the feeling is mutual and he certainly hopes to remain in Dallas for the distant future. Having Schultz, commonly known as Dak Prescott’s “security blanket” in 2021, will be a huge asset for the team in 2022. What the front office will make happen for the rest of the receiving corps is yet to be seen, though.