FRISCO, Texas — In football, “next man up” is a phrase and mentality as old as time. It is what draws fans religiously to the couch on gameday; to watch as players from different walks of life and journeys join in a huddle and take their place in the formation with the chance at greatness following the snap of the ball. After each whistle blows, the opportunity of a lifetime exists for a player to make his mark between the hashes.
For the Dallas Cowboys, tight end Dalton Schultz became a bright spot on the offense following Blake Jarwin’s season-ending injury in week one against the Rams. He assumed the starting role in the lineup and never blinked. With a makeshift offensive line and revolving door at quarterback, Shultz not only displayed his blocking and pass-catching ability on the field but racked up the numbers in addition.
The Stanford product led all Cowboys in avoided tackles in 2020 as a receiver with 12 per PFF. Also, he reached 63 receptions on the year becoming only the fourth tight end in team history to post 60-or-more receptions in a season joining Jason Witten, Doug Cosbie, and Jay Novacek.
“I can’t say enough about the progress he [Dalton Schultz] made this year,” head coach Mike McCarthy stressed to D210SPORTS. “I mean his yards after the catch, breaking tackles, very savvy in the passing game, has a great understanding of everything we’re doing in the run protection and pass, so I was very pleased with the way Dalton played throughout the year and fought through bumps and injuries throughout the season…when Blake [Jarwin] went down, Dalton definitely stepped up and took full advantage of this opportunity.”
Despite the obvious talent, for the majority of his career, Shultz has been a backup, staying ready for his moment to shine. At Stanford, the famed “Tight End U,” known for developing and producing elite tight ends in the Draft, Schultz played in all 14 games as a redshirt freshman and backup to Austin Hooper. He caught ten passes for 121 yards and a touchdown. In 2016, Hooper declared for the Draft and Schultz was named the starter. His chance had arrived. In 13 games, he totaled 23 receptions for 222 yards and a TD. With his blocking ability, he helped pave the way for Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love, receiving honorable-mention All-Pac-12 honors.
Prior to the 2017 season, Schultz was named to the John Mackey Award list and following his 22 receptions and 212-yard season in 2017, he was named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.
Shultz was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round (137th overall) of the 2018 Draft to add depth at the position after the retirement of Jason Witten. He became the third-string tight end behind Geoff Swaim and Blake Jarwin and was used mostly as a blocker in two-tight end sets, accumulating 12 receptions for 116 yards.
In 2019, Swaim left in free agency but Witten came out of retirement and traded in his Monday Night Football gig as a commentator for cleats. Schultz was once again pushed down in the depth chart behind Witten and Jarwin. He only had one reception in 2019 but in 2020, his fate changed. Witten signed with the Raiders, opening the door for Schultz behind Jarwin for TE2.
As circumstances would dictate, Jarwin tore his ACL and Schultz’s number was finally called at the pro level. In week two against the Falcons, his production turned heads. The rest is history, as they say. He has averaged 9.8 yards after the catch with his elusiveness and has four games with over 50 receiving yards.
Throughout the 2020 season, Shultz’s blocking extended plays both in the running and passing game for Dallas. He bulldozed linebackers and defensive backs to create open lanes for his teammates.
His former tight end coach at Stanford, Morgan Turner emphatically remarked to D210 “Dalton always has done a great job of knowing his defender and how they react to different run schemes… Dalton’s desire to be a great blocker always stood out to me. He has incredible tenacity and always tried to block his guy the whole play, every play.”
Shultz would stay on blocks longer to open up seams for Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, or to create space for a receiver after the catch. Whether his production showed up on the stat sheet in receptions or not, he would not shy away from contact no matter his assignment and carried defenders on his back to help out his team. He is the complete, dual-threat package. The 24-year-old showcased short-area burst, creating space as a route runner to move the chains and sustain drives.
Turner elaborated, “Dalton always did a great job of getting north and up field after he caught the ball. He is physical and will punish a smaller DB trying to tackle him…Dalton’s personality and love for football is infectious. Any time a player embraces the dirty work like blocking, it pushes others around them to embrace their individual roles. When you love football like Dalton, putting in the extra work is easy, and the results speak for themselves.”
He has proven his value and knowledge of route trees and blocking assignments at the NFL level. Shultz has remarkably shown what he is capable of when the ball is in his hands, or when he is added as an in-line blocker in run or pass protection. Even though the Cowboys overall had an underwhelming season, Shultz exceeded expectations and not only stepped up in his starting role but set the standard of excellence on offense with his consistency. Given his success on the field, he will likely have an increased role this upcoming season. More 12 personnel will potentially be utilized by Kellen Moore with the talented tandem of Jarwin and Schultz. One thing is for sure, defenses in 2021 will know the name ‘Dalton Schultz’ and the nightmare mismatch he has become.
