Cowboys 2026 roster rundown: TE Luke Schoonmaker

[fivetwos]

Schoonmaker's college tape was NOT GOOD.
You know when a player gets drafted and on TV they immediately play his highlight reel? I said right then and there "What the hell is Jerry doing?!!"

It’s exactly what happens when you go into a draft thinking….’we MUST get a tight end early.”

Once they passed on LaPorta for Mazi Smith, all bets were off. Whoever was left out of that supposed deep TE group was going to be the pick. There was an immediate stud starting guard available that Buffalo ended up snagging, but nooooooo, we prefer to take guards with the 12th overall pick and leave ourselves with questionable tackles.

One mistake fuels the next, and how you end up with consecutive seven win seasons.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Likely his last year as a Cowboy. Or will he be a victim of the Turk on cut day? He wasn't ever going to be a big target for Dak because he is too far down the food chain. As the article says, maybe Luke Schoonmaker is still more involved in the TE2 conversation than we think. He has to know his Cowboys career depends on it.

Cowboys 2026 roster rundown: TE Luke Schoonmaker
Jess Haynie
Thu, June 11, 2026

Few Cowboys players need a big 2026 more than TE Luke Schoonmaker, but most of them probably have better opportunities. The former second-round pick is entering the final year of his contract with stalled development and potentially a lower spot on the depth chart. It’s going to be an uphill battle for Schoonmaker in what could be a career-defining season.

Schoonmaker was considered a Day 2 prospect in the 2023 draft class, and that’s exactly where the Cowboys got him as the 58th-overall pick. But Dallas’ need for TE that high was heavily questioned as, the year before, they’d seemed to find a Day 3 diamond with Jake Fergsuon. But with Dalton Schultz leaving in free agency and Ferguson being handed the starting job, the Cowboys felt they needed to hedge their bet both for that year and long-term. So, they spent the high pick on Schoonmaker.

Dallas probably isn’t going to keep four tight ends as they also carry a fullback, and that Hunter Leupke is capable of playing backup TE himself. So both Schoonmaker and Trigg, or some other TE prospect, making the roster is probably not happening without an injury situation.

Maybe Luke Schoonmaker is still more involved in the TE2 conversation than we think. If so, hopefully it’s a sign that he has made some strides in his play and that he and Spann-Ford can improve the overall depth. But if Schoonmaker remains unimpactful in this year’s camp, the Cowboys may finally decide to move on to someone with more future potential.

More: https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cowboys-2026-roster-rundown-te-210000818.html

he was a day3 prospect....known for blocking. put on some weight and turn him into a swing tackle perhaps.

 

[kskboys]

Same with dealing Parsons, which ended up fixing DT. Was inadvertent, but the right move. My hopes for years and years were that these two might stumble across some luck and actually make a significant playoff run, but I had given up on that recently, citing the fact that even when they get close, they choose complacency and a little more cap room years after the fact over getting over the hump in the immediate.

That small bit of hope has been restored with this offseason, but the expectations aren’t high, and that alone is sad….I can’t expect my team to even have a chance to win because of Jerry’s ego. I’m not supposed to have a serious dislike for that person? I’ve been told that.

Same here. Small bit of hope that Jerry lucked into relevance.

 

[kskboys]

It’s exactly what happens when you go into a draft thinking….’we MUST get a tight end early.”

Once they passed on LaPorta for Mazi Smith, all bets were off. Whoever was left out of that supposed deep TE group was going to be the pick. There was an immediate stud starting guard available that Buffalo ended up snagging, but nooooooo, we prefer to take guards with the 12th overall pick and leave ourselves with questionable tackles.

One mistake fuels the next, and how you end up with consecutive seven win seasons.

That is 100% what has been dogging us since Jimmy left. Losing the two 1st rounders for Galloway killed any chance of a rebuild.

It's often not who you take in the draft, it's who you don't take. Our problem w/ the draft is not need vs BPA, it's extreme lack of knowledge of how the NFL works and extreme inability to evaluate players/team.

 

[kskboys]

he was a day3 prospect....known for blocking. put on some weight and turn him into a swing tackle perhaps.

I don't think he's agile enough to block. In the NFL, the most important aspects of blocking are strength, leverage, and slide ability. Which means, if you can't stay in front of the guy, you can't block him. From what I've seen, Schooner doesn't move side to side well, which means he can't block.

 

[blueblood70]

Exactly what would be the point of that?

You know he doesn't have a point He just likes to hear himself talk or type in this case,, He thinks because he has shorter quick responses that they mean more...lol

It shows how casual some fans are in here even the ones that are regulars anybody who says we should cut a player right now for no reason before camp it's ridiculous...

 

[kskboys]

You know he doesn't have a point He just likes to hear himself talk or type in this case,, He thinks because he has shorter quick responses that they mean more...lol

It shows how casual some fans are in here even the ones that are regulars anybody who says we should cut a player right now for no reason before camp it's ridiculous...

Have to agree. There is no point in cutting a player until enough players beat him out that he doesn't belong on the roster.

 

[Rayman70]

Even then they'll just put him on PS.

Schoonmaker isn't going anywhere until his rookie deal is done.

Agreed

 

[Rayman70]

Good way to put it. Thing is, that's what he was coming in and it wasn't going to change. Taking him in the 2nd was beyond foolish. You can find his ilk all over rounds 4-7.

Bingo.

 

[Rayman70]

Schoonmaker was never going to be more than he is now. It was super unfair to the kid drafting him so high and heaping huge lofty expectations on him

 

[RonWashington]

You're losing your mind, the 8th round pick we could use on him would surely net us a NFL starter for years in Jerry's eyes lol

 

[vlad]

I was bored, and you know, AI may be wrong here, but here you go...



Prior to draft night, major scouting outlets evaluated him as a late-3rd or 4th-round prospect: [1, 2, 3]

• Pro Football Focus (PFF): Ranked as TE7 (No. 95 overall).
• Bleacher Report: Ranked as TE7 (No. 95 overall).
• NFL Draft Buzz: Ranked as TE7 (No. 104 overall).
• CBS Sports: Ranked as TE10 (No. 162 overall). [1, 2, 3, 4]
  
  
  
  
• Round 1 to Round 3 (Day 1 & Day 2)
  
  

  Pick [, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]	Player	Team	College
  25	Dalton Kincaid	Buffalo Bills	Utah
  34	Sam LaPorta	Detroit Lions	Iowa
  35	Michael Mayer	Las Vegas Raiders	Notre Dame
  42	Luke Musgrave	Green Bay Packers	Oregon State
  58	Luke Schoonmaker	Dallas Cowboys	Michigan
  61	Brenton Strange	Jacksonville Jaguars	Penn State
  78	Tucker Kraft	Green Bay Packers	South Dakota State
  93	Darnell Washington	Pittsburgh Steelers	Georgia

  
  Round 4 to Round 7 (Day 3) [1]
  
  

  Pick [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]	Player	Team	College
  149	Davis Allen	Los Angeles Rams	Clemson
  163	Josh Whyle	Tennessee Titans	Cincinnati
  173	Will Mallory	Indianapolis Colts	Miami (FL)
  175	Payne Durham	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Purdue
  225	Elijah Higgins	Miami Dolphins	Stanford
  247	Brayden Willis	San Francisco 49ers	Oklahoma
  256	Zack Kuntz	New York Jets	Old Dominion

 

[big dog cowboy]

It’s exactly what happens when you go into a draft thinking….’we MUST get a tight end early.”

Once they passed on LaPorta for Mazi Smith, all bets were off. Whoever was left out of that supposed deep TE group was going to be the pick. There was an immediate stud starting guard available that Buffalo ended up snagging, but nooooooo, we prefer to take guards with the 12th overall pick and leave ourselves with questionable tackles.

One mistake fuels the next, and how you end up with consecutive seven win seasons.

During those Mazi years the Cowboys won 12 games.

 

[big dog cowboy]

he was a day3 prospect.

That is incorrect.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/luke-schoonmaker/32005343-4847-1986-19e8-9065e5ea32c8

 

[big dog cowboy]

You know he doesn't have a point He just likes to hear himself talk or type in this case

Correctamundo!

 

[fivetwos]

During those Mazi years the Cowboys won 12 games.

So…you’re doing what here? Trying to instigate lol.

I know it when I see it buddy.

 

[fivetwos]

You know he doesn't have a point He just likes to hear himself talk or type in this case,, He thinks because he has shorter quick responses that they mean more...lol

It shows how casual some fans are in here even the ones that are regulars anybody who says we should cut a player right now for no reason before camp it's ridiculous...

I actually read your posts. When you’re not tying to argue with or insult someone, there’s good football talk in there. I mean that.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

That is incorrect.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/luke-schoonmaker/32005343-4847-1986-19e8-9065e5ea32c8

sorry, should have been more clear. in my mind he was nothing more than a day 3 prospect. not much of a catcher. not much speed. a blocking TE, often those go undrafted, ala Fant & span-ford
.
I would not have taken him in the 2nd or 3rd.


he had all of 52 catches at michigan. 35 in his senior year for 418 yards....nothing physically outstanding that you could say, hey, he has physical ability that's worth a 2nd or 3rd. size was average. speed was average. production below average.

in fact both fant and span-ford out performed him college. Fant out produced him in senior year, and ran a 4.5 vs. Schoons 4.65

I don't care what the pundits said. the pundits will say what they will say.

it was a huge mistake wasting a 2nd round pick on a TE, one with a lot of questions no less, when we had just signed ferguson.your second rounder is a future starter. Schoon would not have been starter, because we handed fergi a contract.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

I was bored, and you know, AI may be wrong here, but here you go...



Prior to draft night, major scouting outlets evaluated him as a late-3rd or 4th-round prospect: [1, 2, 3]

• Pro Football Focus (PFF): Ranked as TE7 (No. 95 overall).
• Bleacher Report: Ranked as TE7 (No. 95 overall).
• NFL Draft Buzz: Ranked as TE7 (No. 104 overall).
• CBS Sports: Ranked as TE10 (No. 162 overall). [1, 2, 3, 4]
  
  
  
  
• Round 1 to Round 3 (Day 1 & Day 2)
  
  

  Pick [, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]	Player	Team	College
  25	Dalton Kincaid	Buffalo Bills	Utah
  34	Sam LaPorta	Detroit Lions	Iowa
  35	Michael Mayer	Las Vegas Raiders	Notre Dame
  42	Luke Musgrave	Green Bay Packers	Oregon State
  58	Luke Schoonmaker	Dallas Cowboys	Michigan
  61	Brenton Strange	Jacksonville Jaguars	Penn State
  78	Tucker Kraft	Green Bay Packers	South Dakota State
  93	Darnell Washington	Pittsburgh Steelers	Georgia

  
  Round 4 to Round 7 (Day 3) [1]
  
  

  Pick [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]	Player	Team	College
  149	Davis Allen	Los Angeles Rams	Clemson
  163	Josh Whyle	Tennessee Titans	Cincinnati
  173	Will Mallory	Indianapolis Colts	Miami (FL)
  175	Payne Durham	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Purdue
  225	Elijah Higgins	Miami Dolphins	Stanford
  247	Brayden Willis	San Francisco 49ers	Oklahoma
  256	Zack Kuntz	New York Jets	Old Dominion

Schoonmaker was a textbook 4th round prospect. We reached once we bypassed LaPorta. I’m sure the scouting department said “there’s not much of a difference between LaPorta the other TEs that will likely be on the board for our 2nd round pick.”

 

[kskboys]

That is incorrect.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/luke-schoonmaker/32005343-4847-1986-19e8-9065e5ea32c8

Lindy's had him as a 3rd/4th rounder.