{"id":377861,"date":"2026-07-18T11:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/377861\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T11:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:24:10","slug":"dallas-cowboys-news-dak-prescott-embraces-high-expectations-in-dallas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/377861\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys news: Dak Prescott embraces high expectations in Dallas"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys are heading into training camp with a tight end competition that deserves more attention than it\u2019s getting. While it\u2019s already identified as a meaningful camp battle, I don\u2019t think we\u2019re talking about the implications enough. After all, how it turns out will say a lot about the past and present of the team.<\/p>\n

You see, tight end Luke Schoonmaker, the Cowboys\u2019 2023 second-round pick, is fighting for the No. 2 spot at tight end behind Jake Ferguson<\/a> and potentially for his 53-man roster spot entirely. The outcome of this battle will reveal a lot about the harsh reality of the 2023 draft class and potentially, of a new way of doing things in Dallas. Let\u2019s break it all down.<\/p>\n

Schoonmaker\u2019s production speaks for itself<\/p>\n

It\u2019s hard to believe, but Schoonmaker is entering his fourth year with the Cowboys. Over 51 games, he has 49 receptions. That\u2019s under one catch per game for a player Dallas drafted believing he could compete with Ferguson for the starting job back in 2023. No bueno.<\/p>\n

Schoonmaker was always a traits-based prospect who never fully developed. As of today, the best way to describe his play is that he doesn\u2019t do one thing at an above-average level. He\u2019s a decent blocker (I\u2019d even say below average) and a decent pass catcher (again, below average). He doesn\u2019t stand out in any phase of the game, and that\u2019s a problem when the competition is gaining ground.<\/p>\n

Brevyn Spann-Ford and Michael Trigg are coming for those snaps<\/p>\n

Take Brevyn Spann-Ford, who is competing for the No. 2 tight end role. We still need to see more from him as a pass catcher, but Spann-Ford can flat-out block in the run game. He consistently shows up on film, and the Cowboys were comfortable enough to let him take on defensive tackles in their blocking scheme rather than just sealing backside defensive ends. That\u2019s unusual for a tight end and speaks to his physicality. Right now, I\u2019d say Spann-Ford is the clear frontrunner for the No. 2 spot behind Ferguson.<\/p>\n

That pushes Schoonmaker into a battle for the No. 3 tight end spot, which may be the last roster spot available at the position. Dallas began the 2025 season with only three tight ends on its 53-man roster, and I have no reason to believe 2026 will be different.<\/p>\n

The name to watch there is undrafted rookie Michael Trigg<\/a>. Trigg has his own battle to fight. He needs to prove that the off-the-field concerns that followed him through multiple college programs and suspensions are behind him. If he does that, the Cowboys will have something different in Trigg: a big-bodied target who can develop as a pass catcher without needing to be attached to the offensive line. He has the physicality and the tools to evolve as a blocker, too, as long as he\u2019s willing to get his hands dirty.<\/p>\n

If Trigg has a strong training camp, Schoonmaker could end up without a roster spot.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys are heading into training camp with a tight end competition that deserves more attention than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":377862,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[102,932,104,103],"class_list":["post-377861","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-cowboys-news","tag-dallas-headlines","tag-dallas-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377861","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=377861"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/377861\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/377862"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=377861"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=377861"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=377861"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}