On Tuesday morning, news broke that neither the Cowboys' Dalton Schultz or the Dolphins' Mike Gesicki will be making it to the free-agent market this off-season.
Two TEs Franchise tagged today:
— NFL Wire (@wooak5) March 8, 2022
- #Dolphins TE Mike Gesicki
- #Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz#NFL #FinsUp #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/GOs3eUtaNB
The franchise tender for the tight-end position in 2022 is set at $10.9 million, which is considerably less than what the two players probably would have received on the open market. Considering this, it was a relatively easy decision for both teams before the deadline this afternoon despite their differing financial situations. Both the Cowboys and Dolphins will now likely attempt to secure their young tight-ends with long-term deals. Each Schultz and Gesicki are talents on the rise at respectively 25 and 26 years old and apparently neither the Cowboys' or Dolphins' wanted to provide another club a chance to pursue either of them in free agency.
The #Cowboys are franchise tagging TE Dalton Schultz, source said, keeping another playmaker in the fold. Coming off his best season, Schultz now is locked in for 2022 with a long-term deal the hope in the future.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 8, 2022
All of the sides involved in each situation will now have until July 15th to agree to multi-year deals or else both players will play the 2022 season on their tenders.
For the Cowboys, retaining Schultz became something of a priority for their offense this off-season with all of the question marks that surround the team moving forward. The Cowboys are currently over the salary cap and likely having to trade Amari Cooper as a result, they are also expected to lose several other wide receivers to free agency in the coming weeks, and adding to this, the team also recently received news that their second tight-end in Blake Jarwin underwent hip surgery and is expected to be sidelined for at least the start of the season.
An example from last year of how Dalton Schultz has become one of Dak Prescott’s most-trusted receivers.
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) March 8, 2022
Schultz’s route is designed to go left, but he sees the play break down and Dak scrambling to his right, so he immediately switches back to his right pic.twitter.com/8Z3GCno4vG
Last year, Schultz had a breakout campaign logging career highs of 78 receptions, 808 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns so it is clear why the Cowboys acted to ensure that their offense will have at the very least one talented pass-catcher next season besides Ceedee Lamb.
In Miami, Gesicki has found himself to be the first player the team has tagged since 2018. Over his first four seasons in the league, Gesicki has established himself as a premier pass-catcher at the tight-end position and it will be interesting to see how the former second round pick fits into Mike McDaniel's offensive system. Through 2021, Gesicki also logged career highs with 73 receptions and 780 receiving yards to go along with a pair of touchdowns.
Mike Gesicki lined up out wide or in the slot on 85% of snaps last season
— PFF Fantasy Football (@PFF_Fantasy) March 8, 2022
He just received the TE franchise tag 💰 pic.twitter.com/kRiYhIhmP4
Yesterday, the Browns also tagged their young tight-end in David Njoku so within 48 hours the top end of the free agent market at the position has significantly dwindled. A few notable names that remain available include Rob Gronkowski, Tyler Conklin, Jared Cook and C.J. Uzomah.
Photo Credit © Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
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