Former Cowboys TE discusses team focus amid culture criticisms

Houston Texans tight end Dalton Schultz was featured on the Dallas Cowboys from 2018 to 2022 and compared the clubs during a Wednesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show." 

"That was one of the first things that kind of stuck out to me, is like, it feels like much more — I don’t want to say college because it’s not — but the focus is just football, you know what I mean?" Schultz explained about joining Houston in 2023, per Ryan Morik of Fox News Digital. "Going back and telling some people how kind of being around the Cowboys' practice facility, game day, describing some of the interactions and stuff that you see on a daily basis surprised a lot of people. They’re like, 'Holy crap, that actually happens at a practice facility?' You think it’s normal, and then you come to a place like this."

Cowboys legend and Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith repeatedly questioned the team's culture and direction after current Dallas starting quarterback Dak Prescott fell to 2-5 as a playoff starter this past January. While Prescott insisted earlier this week that the club's culture "is high," Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman acknowledged that inevitable "distractions" come with playing for what is commonly known as "America's Team." 

Schultz elaborated on Aikman's take. 

"There’s people literally going on tours while you’re lifting in the weight room," Schultz said about the Cowboys during the show segment. "And they’ve got, like, they’ve got a one-way mirror for people to like look at. It's a zoo, dude. There’s people tapping on the glass trying to get people’s attention as they’re doing power cleans or whatnot. It’s just, it’s different."

Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones hasn't hidden his displeasure with the club's failure to play in an NFC Championship Game since winning the Super Bowl in 1996. Schultz noted that any supposed culture issues impacting the Cowboys are related to "the brand" that Jones "likes" and has built over several decades. 

"That’s the way that they run things, and there’s nothing wrong with that," Schultz added about the Cowboys. "It’s just you don’t realize how many eyeballs and how much that can maybe distract from stuff just in a locker room being in the facility until you go somewhere else, and you’re like, 'Holy crap, dude, there’s none of that.'" 

Schultz seemingly has no interest in returning to Dallas, as he reportedly agreed to a new three-year contract with the Texans earlier this week. Meanwhile, conversations about what may or may not be wrong within the Cowboys aren't disappearing as springtime approaches.