Cowboys tight end undergoes rare surgery, could miss start of next season

Dallas Cowboys tight end Blake Jarwin underwent hip surgery this offseason and is expected to miss the start of the 2022 season, per the Dallas Morning News. The surgery is said to be uncommon for an active NFL player, raising questions about his future with the franchise.

Dallas owes Jarwin $5.85 million for next season under his current contract, but the Morning News reports the Cowboys will attempt to lower that number. That could happen by reducing his salary and placing him on the Physically Unable to Perform list or simply cutting him. If the team opts to release him, Jarwin would be eligible for Injury Protection Benefit and still owed $2 million.

Coming off of a career season in 2019, Jarwin signed a three-year, $24.25 million extension with the Cowboys in 2020. However, he suffered an ACL tear in the season opener and did not play another game that year. He returned to the field this past season but dealt with lingering hip pain that caused him to play in only eight games, finishing with 11 catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

With Jarwin sidelined, fourth-year tight end Dalton Schultz had a breakout year. The 6-foot-5, 244-pound Schultz finished with 78 catches for 808 yards and eight touchdowns in 2021. The situation with Jarwin’s surgery only make it more imperative for the Cowboys to retain Schultz as their tight end of the future.

Schultz is set to become an unrestricted free agent March 16, but sources said the two sides are likely to complete a deal before then. He could also be a candidate to receive a franchise tag, the deadline for which is Tuesday. If that happens, the team would continue to work to sign him to a long-term extension that would be less impactful against the 2022 salary cap.

Pay attention to what happens with Jarwin, whose future with the Cowboys is much more up in the air than Schultz’s.