The Dallas Cowboys are entering the 2025 NFL season with a roster brimming with offensive firepower, but their defensive shortcomings at cornerback and defensive tackle are becoming harder to ignore as training camp and preseason unfold. While the offense, led by a stellar wide receiving corps, is poised to dominate, the tight end room has quietly emerged as one of the team’s deepest and most versatile units. So deep, in fact, that the Cowboys could consider trading former second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker without missing a beat. The opportunity for such a move became glaringly apparent after the Houston Texans suffered a devastating blow: tight end Brevin Jordan’s season-ending knee injury, which has left their depth chart dangerously thin and opened a window for a potential Cowboys-Texans trade.
The Texans’ tight end situation took a brutal hit when Jordan, a promising 25-year-old, went down during practice. Attempting to haul in a deep pass from quarterback C.J. Stroud, Jordan came up limping, unable to put weight on his leg. Despite his efforts to walk off the field, he was carted to the locker room in tears—a gut-wrenching scene for a player who had been expected to play a key role in Houston’s offense. The injury, later confirmed as season-ending, leaves the Texans scrambling to fill the void. With Jordan and veteran Irv Smith Jr. both set to become unrestricted free agents after the 2025 season, Houston’s only experienced tight end under contract beyond this year is Dalton Schultz, a familiar face to Cowboys fans. However, even Schultz’s deal runs only through 2026, meaning the Texans will need to address their tight end position sooner rather than later.
Enter Luke Schoonmaker. Trading for the Cowboys’ 2023 second-round pick could provide Houston with much-needed stability behind Schultz, who recorded a modest 52 receptions for 532 yards and two touchdowns last season. Schoonmaker, a 24-year-old with untapped potential, could serve as a long-term investment for a Texans team looking to solidify their offense around their young franchise quarterback.
On the Dallas side, the tight end room is a position of strength, making Schoonmaker expendable. The Cowboys recently locked up starter Jake Ferguson with a four-year extension, securing their TE1 for the next five seasons. Ferguson’s emergence as a reliable target has been a boon for Dak Prescott, and the team’s confidence in their tight end depth doesn’t stop there. Enter Brevyn Spann-Ford, a 2024 undrafted free agent who has turned heads in training camp. Despite a recent ankle injury sidelining him for two weeks, Spann-Ford was reportedly overtaking Schoonmaker on the depth chart before the setback. Multiple beat writers believe he could reclaim the TE2 role if he returns for the final preseason game.
The Cowboys also have John Stephens Jr., a pass-catching dynamo with arguably the highest ceiling among the non-Ferguson tight ends. While Stephens needs to prove he can stay healthy, his talent is undeniable. Rounding out the group is Princeton Fant, a special teams contributor who has appeared in 10 games over the past two seasons. Together, Ferguson, Spann-Ford, Stephens, and Fant form a formidable unit capable of handling the Cowboys’ tight end duties, even without Schoonmaker.
Drafted in the second round out of Michigan in 2023, Schoonmaker was expected to develop into a key piece of the Cowboys’ offense. However, his path to a significant role has been blocked by Ferguson’s breakout and Spann-Ford’s rapid rise. With Spann-Ford showing flashes of brilliance and Stephens offering tantalizing upside, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Schoonmaker may never reach his full potential in Dallas. While he might hold more value to the Cowboys than what he’d fetch on the trade market, the opportunity to address defensive needs—particularly at cornerback or defensive tackle—makes a trade worth exploring.
The Texans, desperate for tight end depth, could view Schoonmaker as a low-cost, high-upside addition. His athleticism and pedigree make him an intriguing fit alongside Schultz, offering Houston a safety net as they navigate their tight end contracts in the coming years.
For the Cowboys, trading Schoonmaker could net a draft pick or a defensive player to bolster their roster where it’s needed most. For the Texans, acquiring Schoonmaker would provide insurance behind Schultz and a potential building block for their offense. While Dallas might dream of unleashing a three-headed tight end monster with Ferguson, Spann-Ford, and Schoonmaker, the reality is that Stephens and Fant are more than capable of filling the TE3 role.