The Cowboys could get big contributions from their 2023 rookie class with three particular veterans in danger of losing their starting gigs.
With training camp quickly approaching, the Cowboys will soon find out which of their rookies are ready to compete in the NFL, which need time to develop and which aren’t worth the investment. The pressure is immense.
The arrival of rookies also puts pressure on the veterans ahead of them. Get too complacent and one of those rookies might just take your job.
Which Cowboys veterans are most in danger of having a rookie leapfrog them for playing time? Let’s take a look.
Cowboys depth chart: TE Luke Schoonmaker could take Jake Ferguson’s job
The Cowboys let Dalton Schultz leave for Houston this offseason and opened the door for 2022 fourth-round pick Jake Ferguson to step into a starting role.
Then they used a second-round pick on Luke Schoonmaker out of Michigan and opened the door for Ferguson’s starting role to be short-lived.
The consensus seems to be that Schoonmaker needs time to develop, even if he is an athletic talent who could make an immediate impact. The thing is, the Cowboys don’t have the personnel to allow Schoonmaker to develop behind the scenes. He’s needed now.
It’s not hard to imagine a world where Schoonmaker rises to the top of the depth chart this season since Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot are the only two bodies really standing in his way. And each of them only has one season of NFL experience under the belt.