5 Cowboys Offseason Moves That Are Already Flops at Midway Point of Season

3. The Draft Picks from Michigan

Dallas had a bit of a soft spot for Michigan players in the 2023 NFL Draft, taking nose tackle Mazi Smith in Round 1 and tight end Luke Schoonmaker in Round 2.

Smith was a player they apparently had a strong feeling about and really only debated between him and Matthew Bergeron once they were on the clock. In the end, the 6-3, 337-pound Smith was their choice.

Then in the second round, it felt as though they were zeroed in on a tight end. After letting Dalton Schultz walk in free agency, Dallas was kicking the tires on several players at the position. Some of the best prospects had come off the board with Sam LaPorta and Michael Mayer going earlier in Round 2. Dallas, however, remained focused on a tight end and landed Schoonmaker.

So far, neither player has done much at all. Smith has just five tackles and while the coaching staff says he’s progressing as they hoped, he has yet to make an impact on the field. Schoonmaker has been playing more but he’s also done very little. The rookie tight end has just three receptions and has been guilty of some gut-wrenching penalties as well.

Making matters worse is the fact that Schoonmaker is 25, and players that age typically don’t develop much more after entering the league. So to sum it up, the Cowboys drafted a player to groom behind Jake Ferguson who is older than Ferguson. And so far, it’s gone about as well as anyone other than the Jones family expected it would.