The Dallas Cowboys may not have gotten over the second-round playoff hump yet, but there’s no denying that they have one of the more talented rosters, and quite a few of them are early in their NFL careers. One of them, tight end Jake Ferguson, just got some lofty praise.
Ferguson is entering his third season, and he just set career-highs across the board as the No. 2 option behind CeeDee Lamb. Bleacher Report feels that was enough to deem Ferguson the player on the Cowboys that’s their most promising building block.
Dallas Cowboys: Jake Ferguson, TE
While cornerback DaRon Bland is ineligible, defensive tackle Mazi Smith struggled in his rookie year. As a result, Jake Ferguson stands out as the best choice in Dallas. He reeled in 71 passes for 761 yards—which both trailed only CeeDee Lamb—and five touchdowns last season. Ferguson’s spot as Dak Prescott’s safety outlet may only increase now that Tony Pollard left for Tennessee in free agency.
Lamb is the unquestioned WR1 in Dallas and the top option in the passing game. Veteran Brandin Cooks holds down the WR2 spot and is poised for a big second year in Dallas. However, with the ability of Ferguson to stretch defenses down the seams and find empty spots in the zone, he has a case to be the No.2 option in the passing game.
Ferguson has gone from a backup to former Cowboys’ tight end Dalton Schultz to a candidate for being a top-five player at his position with the way he can create mismatches and control the middle of the field. Once he gets in the open field, he’s savvy and athletic enough to turn short plays into big gains. Not to be overlooked, Ferguson is steadily improving as a blocker in the run game, giving them the ability to run more 12 personnel.
Ferguson’s complete package as a player is similar to former Cowboys’ legend Jason Witten. Peyton Hendershot, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford, and John Stephens Jr. will battle it out for TE2 duties in training. There’s promising talent there, but Ferguson is the alpha male, and he’s given the Cowboys a great foundation at the tight end position for the foreseeable future.