The Cowboys were secure for over a decade at tight end with future Hall of Famer Jason Witten leading the pack. Since his departure, the Cowboys have been searching for their TE1 for the foreseeable future.

Blake Jarwin seemed to be the heir apparent to Witten's throne, but injuries derailed any chance of that happening. Dalton Schultz, who was taken in the fourth round in 2018, has had back-to-back productive seasons for the Cowboys and is currently seeking a long-term after receiving the franchise tag for $10.9 million.

The gradual progression of Schultz hasn't gone unnoticed. Pro Football Focus put out a list of the NFL's top tight ends on Tuesday, and Schultz came in at No. 8 for the 2022 season.

"Schultz was a bit of a surprise breakout in 2021, considering the Cowboys utilized him solely as a blocker in his first two NFL seasons and he was underwhelming when being integrated into the passing game in 2020. The 2018 fourth-round pick took his 63.8 receiving grade in 2020 to 77.4 in 2021, and while he isn’t going to shred single coverage like some of the Tier 1 guys, he can work soft spots against zone coverage and possesses strong hands. He finished top six last year in both drop rate (3.4%) and contested catch rate (63.2%, 12-of-19)."

Despite playing mostly with backup quarterbacks in 2020 due to Dak Prescott's injury, Schultz was able to snag 63 receptions for 615 yards and four touchdowns, making him just the fifth tight end in team history to record at least 50 receptions.

The 2021 season was even better for Schultz. He finished second on the Cowboys in receptions (78), third in yards (808), and tied for first in touchdown receptions (8). Prescott connected on 77.5% of the passes to Schultz in the 16 games they played together which shows amazing chemistry.

One of the reasons many didn't want the Cowboys to retain Schultz is his lack of blocking prowess. However, Schultz doesn't see his blocking as a deficiency.

“I mean my blocking has been like one of my strong suits,” Schultz said. “Everybody disagrees with that and everybody has their own opinion on that. But that’s always something I’ve been able to hang my hat on. Now blocking the Chandler Joneses of the world every play, it's hard, and like any tight end, you’re not going to win every rep. That’s just the NFL.”

PFF agrees with Schultz's assessment in regard to his blocking. Per PFF, Schultz graded out as the seventh-best run blocker among tight ends with at least 232 run blocking snaps in 2021.

2022 will be the third year for Schultz as the top guy at tight end for the Cowboys. If his arrow keeps going up, it should be a big year for Schultz, especially if offensive coordinator Kellen Moore finds a way to feature him in the offense.

Feature image via Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports