Many expected the Jacksonville Jaguars to make the tight end position a priority last offseason, either by drafting a player like Pat Freiermuth or making a trade for someone like Zach Ertz.
No big move like that materialized, though. The only addition during the offseason was Luke Farrell, a fifth-round pick who is primarily a blocker. The team got a nice boost in Week 4 when it traded for Dan Arnold, who had a surprisingly productive season, but the position remains a need heading into 2022.
However, Pro Football Focus thinks the Jags will find the answer. In its free agent predictions, it has the team landing Dalton Schultz from the Dallas Cowboys.
Prediction: Jacksonville Jaguars – Four years, $52 million ($32.5 million guaranteed)
Schultz had a huge year for the Cowboys and was a reliable weapon in the passing game, especially when Amari Cooper and Gallup missed time. Schultz had the third-best wins above replacement (WAR) at the TE position and the seventh-highest receiving grade amongst TEs (77.0). Going to the Jaguars would be a huge help for Trevor Lawrence, as it would provide him with a reliable safety blanket over the middle, which he lacked in his rookie year.
Schultz was a fourth-round pick out of Stanford in 2018, and with his rookie deal expiring this offseason, he’s set for a major payday. He’s coming off his most productive season with the Cowboys in which he totaled 808 yards and eight touchdowns on 78 catches.
Signing him wouldn’t be cheap for Jacksonville (as the projected deal would indicate), but it also wouldn’t be prohibitive for a team with among the most money to spend in the league. Arnold was solid this year but he wasn’t nearly as productive as Schultz.
However, he did run a lot of routes from the slot and out wide, and with Schultz playing a more traditional tight end role, the pair could provide Trevor Lawrence and the offense a nice one-two punch at the position.
