Dallas Cowboys: 3 Affordable free agent options
By Randy Gurzi
Dallas Cowboys Free Agent Target No. 2: Hayden Hurst, TE
One player who might have priced himself out of Big D is tight end Dalton Schultz. The fourth-year tight end was coming off a breakout campaign where he had 615 yards and four touchdowns on 63 receptions — and he outdid those numbers. In 17 games, Schultz wound up with 78 receptions for 808 yards with eight touchdowns.
It was a huge season for Schultz and it could lead to him earning a huge payday elsewhere. If that were to happen, Dallas could turn to Blake Jarwin who they also like at the position. Jarwin hasn’t put up great numbers yet in his career but he was given a hefty extension ahead of the 2020 season in the expectation that he would be the breakout player — a torn ACL, however, ended those hopes and opened the door for Schultz.
Should the Cowboys now have concerns about Jarwin, they might also be willing to let him go and use that money on Schultz. Either way, they will likely be looking for a new tight end in the offseason to replace one of their guys and Hayden Hurst could be an option.
Hurst was a first-round pick for the Baltimore Ravens back in 2018 out of South Carolina. He was one of the more complete players at the position but was overshadowed by Mark Andrews. This led to a trade to the Atlanta Falcons in 2020 and he had his best season that year with 571 and six touchdowns on 56 receptions.
But then the Falcons drafted Kyle Pitts which knocked Hurst to second-string and he had just 26 receptions (catching all but five targets) and 221 yards with three scores. He might not be a star but he does all the little things and could start if needed.