Gil Brandt: Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz is ‘team fit’ for Chargers

There are so-called personnel gurus in the NFL, and then there’s Gil Brandt. It’s easy to plug a roster hole with an obvious choice- a college stud or seasoned veteran at that same position- but it takes a special talent to turn a track and field Olympics champion into a Hall of Fame wide receiver, scour the European mainland for soccer stars who could make the jump to kicking field goals, be among the first to mine small schools and HBCUs for unsung pro-level talent, or bet on longshots by drafting highly-touted players not even eligible for the NFL on a just-in-case basis… and end up with legitimate superstars.

So when Brandt plays hypothetical matchmaker with impending free agents and needy clubs, it’s worth paying attention to.

The longtime Cowboys VP of player personnel and current NFL.com senior analyst sifted through this year’s class of notable free agents to find the new team that would be a perfect fit for each of 10 players. With the Cowboys set to have over 20 players hit the open market, there’s plenty to work with in Dallas, at several crucial positions on the field.

Tight end Dalton Schultz is one of those names. He’s coming off a career year, but with Blake Jarwin already locked up under contract through 2023, it’s widely thought that Schultz could find himself presented with multiple offers that the Cowboys simple can’t or won’t match.

Brandt believes that the Stanford alum could find himself back in California next season, and that he and the Los Angeles Chargers would both benefit from the move.

“Schultz sure could make life easier for Herbert as a replacement for veteran free agent Jared Cook,” Brandt writes. “Last season, Schultz bested Cook in receiving yards (808 to 564), receiving TDs (eight to four), passer rating when targeted (118.6 to 74.6), and catch rate over expectation (+3.7% to -4.9%, per Next Gen Stats). He was also a bit more surehanded, credited by PFF with just three drops, as opposed to Cook’s seven, which were the most in the NFL by a tight end.”

Teams like Tennessee, Minnesota, Green Bay, Houston, and the New York Jets could all be shopping for tight ends, too. But if Gil Brandt likes Schultz wearing powder blue and lightning bolts, it might behoove the Spanos family to take a long, hard look.

Of course, it’s not a guarantee that Schultz is leaving Dallas. The front office could choose to re-sign him or even use the franchise tag on the four-year veteran. But with the team already $21 million over the salary cap, tagging Schultz at a price point of almost $11 million seems unlikely.

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