In three NFL seasons since the Dallas Cowboys used a second-round pick to draft him out of Michigan, tight end Luke Schoonmaker has not show much on the field. He has played 17 games in each of his three years in the NFL, but has totaled just 49 catches and 438 yards in that span, with a significant portion of his snaps coming on special teams.  Schoonmaker was drafted to pair with, and perhaps even replace, starting tight end Jake Ferguson, but even as Ferguson has had ups and downs in recent year, Schoonmaker has made no progress on becoming a starter.

And it’s possible he’s even taken a step backward. The Cowboys played Schoonmaker 392 snaps at tight end last year, and played Brevyn Spann-Ford 300. Spann-Ford is likely the backup tight end heading into the summer.

That puts Schoonmaker in an odd position this summer. He is probably looking at losing his job unless he truly excels in camp. But maybe, one former Cowboys playmaker said, he won’t even make it that far.

‘Luke Schoonmaker Is on That List’

That’s the notion from former Cowboys wide receiver Jesse Holley of DLLS Cowboys, who said on the site’s podcast this week that Schoonmaker could–and perhaps should–be a post-June 1 cut before the team even holds minicamp or training camp.

Said Holley: “Luke Schoonmaker is on that list that could be a post June 1 cut and honestly, I would not be shocked and/or sad. This is no offense to you, this is no offense to you, Luke, but you’ve had opportunities.”

Cowboys Not Feeling Roster Crunch

There are a couple of ways that cutting Schoonmaker now would make sense for the Cowboys, with his lack of production being first. Letting him god ahead of the offseason program kicking into gear creates reps and opportunities for younger guys, and the Cowboys have some intriguing tight end prospects.

But the Cowboys are not currently in a roster crunch. They have 89 players on board with the signing of receiver Romello Brinson, and have two roster spots available. And though the Cowboys rank No. 30 in cap space and could certainly use more breathing room there, there are other ways for the Cowboys to create space if they need it. And Schoonmaker’s cap hit is just $2 million, so there is not a massive windfall coming if he is released.

In other words, there’s no pressure to cut Schoonmaker now, so there’s no harm in keeping him on the roster.

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Luke Schoonmaker in Final Year of Cowboys Contract

But Schoonmaker does know he is under the gun this summer. He is in a contract year for one thing, and he is also facing a challenge from a pair of highly rated undrafted free agent signings–Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers–whom the Cowboys may well keep.

“Yeah, big time,” Schoonmaker said last month about this being a critical offseason. “I think like making sure I’m doing everything to the best of my ability, and I think making the tweaks that I have and putting it all into this year, like going all out and giving it everything. It’s going to be good.”