FRISCO, Texas – Last week in Cleveland, plenty of focus was given to this year's rookie class as three players started Week 1.
But opportunities often surface at different times for different players.
Enter Luke Schoonmaker, who played all 17 games last season but mostly behind Jake Ferguson, who had a Pro Bowl year.
But Ferguson is not expected to play this Sunday against the Saints because of a knee injury that has him listed as "doubtful" on the team’s injury report.
The Cowboys have Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford on the roster, but Princeton Fant is expected to be called up from the practice squad for his first elevation. The team also can use fullback Hunter Luepke at the tight end spot.
Schoonmaker would likely get his first career start against the Saints Sunday at AT&T Stadium. If that's the case, the focus will be simple.
"It's really about not having a drop-off," Schoonmaker said. "Guys just need to be able to execute at a high level when your number is called."
It sounds like Schoonmaker's number is about to be called, something that didn't happen often in 2023. The second-round pick from Michigan played in every game, but had just 15 targets and caught eight passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns.
Last week in Cleveland, Schoonmaker played but didn't get a pass thrown in his direction.
Still, he sees a big difference this year, mainly in the way things have slowed down in his overall process.
"Having that year under your belt, things do slow down and you can just play more and learn even more yourself about the position," said Schoonmaker, who said he benefitted from having a healthy offseason. "This summer, I was trying to get with Dak as much as I can. Definitely, having a different offseason injury-wise. I had more of an opportunity to work on route-running, the communication and the timing was huge for me. Now it's time to go out there and prove it."
And from the looks of things, Schoonmaker should get the chance to finally do that on Sunday.
