Dalton Schultz exposes Cowboys' 'zoo' like atmosphere, draws stark culture difference with Texans: "That's what Jerry Jones likes"

Dalton Schultz knows the Dallas Cowboys pretty well. The Houston Texans tight end was drafted by America's Team in the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent five years in Dallas before signing with Houston on a one-year deal during the 2023 NFL offseason.

On Wednesday, Schultz appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" and discussed the difference in culture and atmosphere between the two franchises. He mentioned the focus on football is more in Houston and went on to compare the Cowboys' atmosphere to a 'zoo'.

"There's people literally going on tours while you're lifting in the weight room," Schultz said. "And they've got like a, they've got a one-way mirror for people to like look at, it's literally, 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 what not. It's just... it's different. "

"That's the brand that they've built. That's what Jerry Jones likes. That's the way that they run things and there's nothing wrong with that. 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. This is also a really well run organization in Houston," he added.

While Schultz explained that it wasn't wrong to operate a franchise that way, he also noted how it could serve as a distraction for the players. During his stint with the Dallas Cowboys, Schultz had 211 receptions, 2122 receiving yards, and 17 touchdowns.

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Dalton Schultz explains key factor in signing extension with Texans

Dalton Schultz recently signed a three-year, $36 million contract extension with the Texans. In his first year in Houston, the TE found his chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud, who won the Rookie of the Year award.

Stroud led the Texans to the AFC South division title and eventually a wild-card round win in the playoffs. When discussing why he wanted to return to Houston, on "The Pat McAfee Show," Schultz mentioned C.J. Stroud as the core reason.

“C.J.’s quickly cemented himself as one of the top quarterbacks in the league,” Schultz said.“… That was a big part of me wanting to come back. I wanted to surround my guys like that. Guys that kind of galvanizes a football team and I think he absolutely does that... It’s a great time to be a Texan and I’m super excited to be back.” (Starting from 00:32 mark)

Schultz finished the 2023 NFL season with 59 catches, 635 receiving yards and five touchdowns. These stats were only second, third and third on the Texans behind wide receivers Nico Collins and Tank Dell.