Dallas Cowboys: 3 X-factor players for Week 3 vs. Seahawks
By Randy Gurzi
2. Dalton Schultz, Tight End
It looked early on in Week 2 as though the Dallas Cowboys might have made a mistake in not going after a tight end following the injury to Blake Jarwin. A torn ACL sent Jarwin to the IR after hauling in just one reception. That’s not what Dallas was hoping for after giving him a three-year extension worth roughly $24 million.
With him out, they decided to stay with the players on their roster and Dalton Schultz was the next man up. And in Week 2, things started out on a sour note as Schultz was one of the three Cowboys players to lose a fumble in the first quarter.
However, just like the others, Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott, Schultz was able to redeem himself. The third-year tight end had a career day, hauling in nine passes for 88 yards and his first career score. He nearly finished with two touchdowns as well, as one catch came up one-yard shy.
It was not only a gutsy performance but a much-needed one. With the Cowboys trio at wide receiver commanding an insane amount of respect, Schultz needs to make defenses pay for focusing too much on them. He doesn’t have to be the best player on the field and he doesn’t have to duplicate the success he had against Atlanta. What he does need to do, is make the plays when his number is called.
In Seattle, he could be a difference-maker as their secondary will do all they can to keep the receivers from getting deep on them. With that being their focus, he can find a lot of room to operate in the short-to-intermediate routes. And his work in this area could help decide the game.