While the NFL Draft is all the rage right now, the Dallas Cowboys are in the midst of making some in-house decisions for their future. George Pickens is the biggest topic of that conversation, as we're still waiting to see if he gets a long-term contract before training camp.
Outside of Pickens, Cowboys fans are starting to look at who should stay and who could be on the way out for 2026 and beyond. Luke Schoonmaker was already a name to watch before last season, as he’s fallen well short of expectations since being drafted in the second round in 2023.
That sentiment was echoed by Cowboys insider Bobby Belt on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas when discussing Schoonmaker’s ceiling. The coaching staff appears to be high on him, particularly tight ends coach Lunda Wells and even Brian Schottenheimer, but Belt isn’t buying it.
"Schotty, a couple of weeks ago, said something to the effect of, they need to look like Luke Schoonmaker. Come in prepared to work, and then took a step up. I was talking to somebody the other day, and they were like, yeah, they really feel like Luke Schoonmaker's progressed, and I'm like, what is this brainwashing you all are trying to do?"
Dallas Cowboys fans know better than to buy into any Luke Schoonmaker hype
Belt has sources as an insider, but if someone close to the Cowboys believes Schoonmaker “progressed” last season, it’s head-scratching, to say the least. It may simply be posturing, aimed at avoiding negative commentary about the player.
The former second-round pick out of Michigan hasn’t panned out like fans hoped. Last season, Brevyn Spann-Ford supplanted Schoonmaker on the depth chart, making a bigger impact as both a blocker and receiver. If that continues, Schoonmaker’s spot is in serious jeopardy.
While Schoonmaker logged more snaps, Spann-Ford was more effective with his opportunities. That showed up in the box score, too, as Schoonmaker managed just 14 catches for 132 yards.
Belt added that either Schoonmaker is progressing and it just hasn’t shown up yet, or the Cowboys are trying to hype him up for trade value. In that scenario, he believes Dallas would be lucky to get a conditional seventh-round pick. The 27-year-old is trending toward bust territory, and the return could be pennies on the dollar.
Unless we see real progress on the field, the writing is already on the wall for Schoonmaker in Dallas. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2027, so the Cowboys may simply wait it out in the name of not creating another hole on the roster.