Veteran tight end Jake Ferguson has been a revelation for the Dallas Cowboys this season. After receiving a four-year, $52 million contract extension in the offseason, Ferguson hit the ground running and quickly became one of the best tight ends in the league, posting 70 catches for 496 receiving yards and a career-high seven touchdowns through 12 games.
On the other hand, there is fellow TE Luke Schoonmaker, who's been a disappointing offensive contributor. Since the Cowboys drafted Schoonmaker in the second round in 2023, he has been objectively underwhelming, and that has continued this season with a 9-64-0 stat line. The third-year pro will play himself out of the fan base's favor (and maybe even Dallas) if this continues.
With Schoonmaker struggling to make noise, Cowboys fans have seen more and more of Brevyn Spann-Ford in recent weeks, and should hope to see that trend going forward.
Cowboys Need More of Brevyn Spann-Ford Moving Forward
The legend of Spann-Ford came to light in Week 12 against the Philadelphia Eagles, when he caught his first career touchdown en route to the Cowboys’ comeback win. But for true, diehard fans, Spann-Ford’s impact has been noticed in multiple phases.
Spann-Ford has been the best run-blocking TE for the Cowboys since he joined the team. According to Pro Football Focus, the 6-foot-7, 270-pound pass-catcher ranks as the second-best run-blocking tight end in the NFL (84.0) and the second-highest in offensive grade (83.2). Although it comes on a small sample size (190 offensive snaps), and PFF grades don't tell a whole story, the fact that he's only behind George Kittle (85.7) offensively is a pretty big deal.
To be in the same conversation as arguably the best player at the position, regardless of the PFF grades, shows Spann-Ford’s impact. His effort in the run game has proven to be an important factor in the offense’s balanced attack. Now, if he continues to have a role in the passing game, the Cowboys offense will have added another weapon to their embarrassment of riches.
He has also turned into one of the best special teamers for the Cowboys. A huge frame helps Spann-Ford add an element of hard-hitting and grit for the unit, which is a huge reason he's seen 54 more special teams snaps this season (168) than he did last year (114) despite playing five fewer games in 2025.
As for Schoonmaker, time is ticking for him to prove he can make a meaningful impact on this Cowboys team. Dallas drafted him, hoping he would be the replacement for ex-Cowboy Dalton Schultz, who departed a month before the draft. It hasn’t panned out that way, with Ferguson claiming the reins and Spann-Ford proving to be an asset.
Spann-Ford deserves to move up to the TE2 position and is something the Cowboys must seriously consider. There is too much value in what he brings to the team for him to be stashed behind a questionable commodity.