Dallas Cowboys make franchise tag decision on Dalton Schultz

The Dallas Cowboys have made their decision on whether or not to place the franchise tag on tight end Dalton Schultz. On Tuesday, the Cowboys did indeed decide to franchise tag Schultz, ahead of Tuesday’s 4 p.m. ET deadline, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

“The #Cowboys are franchise tagging TE Dalton Schultz, source said, keeping another playmaker in the fold,” Rapoport tweeted on Tuesday. “Coming off his best season, Schultz now is locked in for 2022 with a long-term deal the hope in the future.”

The franchise tag placed on Schultz is worth $10.9 million this offseason. Dallas was reportedly debating between placing the tag on Schultz or defensive end Randy Gregory. Placing the tag on Gregory would have cost the Cowboys $17.9 million next season. Ultimately, the decision was made to lock up Schultz, who played a pivotal role in the offense last season.

After the NFL’s 4 p.m. ET franchise tag deadline, the league’s legal tampering period opens on Monday, allowing teams to speak with pending unrestricted free agents. Then, free agency officially opens on Wednesday, March 16 at 4 p.m. ET.

The Cowboys are expected to release wide receiver Amari Cooper, who is due $20 million in fully guaranteed money on March 20. Dallas has also restructured the contracts of quarterback Dak Prescott and offensive lineman Zack Martin.

Schultz had a big role in the Cowboys offense this past season

This past season, Schultz was second on the Cowboys with 78 receptions, trailing just CeeDee Lamb, who had 79. Schultz was third on the team with 808 receiving yards, and tied for the team lead with eight touchdown receptions. Tight end Blake Jarwin missed a significant amount of time this past season, and he is also under contract for two more years, costing the team $5.85 million in 2022 and $7.25 in 2023.

For Schultz, his emergence might have come at the perfect time for the Cowboys. The former 2018 fourth round pick out of Stanford had just 13 receptions over the course of his first two years in the league. But over the past two seasons, Schultz has totaled 141 receptions for 1,423 yards and 12 touchdowns. In the Cowboys’ lone playoff game this season, Schultz caught seven of his eight targets for 89 yards.

The Cowboys offense could definitely look different next season. Many expect Dallas to use the money saved by cutting Cooper to be used to lock up both Schultz and receiver Michael Gallup, who is coming off of an ACL tear and due to hit free agency next week.