Unexpected Offensive Weapon Named Cowboys' Most Promising Building Block of 2024
![Oct 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) celebrates with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) after catching a touchdown pass during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports Oct 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) celebrates with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) after catching a touchdown pass during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_3708,h_2085,x_0,y_0/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/181/01j1wzkbw12t3affm5rx.jpg)
This offseason has been painful for Cowboys fans.
CeeDee Lamb’s contract negotiations have dominated almost every discussion, and that’s worrisome because the weapons on the offense are extremely thin after him.
But maybe there’s hope. We’ve seen how offenses can be successful building around tight ends, like the Chiefs with Travis Kelce, the Patriots with Rob Gronkowski, and Jason Witten with Dallas.
Might the Cowboys have another Witten on their hands?
Jake Ferguson Named the Best Building Block of Dallas
A recent Bleacher Report article named the best building block of each team in the NFL and it listed Ferguson as that player for the Cowboys.
Here’s what Bleacher Report had to say about Ferguson:
"“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.”"
- Bleacher Report
No one is saying that Ferguson is the next Kelce or Gronk, but he could very well be the next version of Witten that could be just what the Cowboys need moving forward.
After an underwhelming rookie season in 2022 (19 rec. for 172 yards and 2 TDs), Ferguson became the No. 2 option in the passing attack in his sophomore season – reeling off 71 receptions for 761 yards and 5 TDs as he earned a Pro Bowl selection.
Jake Ferguson has a ton of room for improvement off of his 2023 production.
— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) June 25, 2024
First full off-season going through OTAs and camp as the locked in TE1, should hit the ground running week 1.
Sorry, Luke Schoonmaker. https://t.co/i9sM6v38pS pic.twitter.com/mzsuunfIGn
With Michael Gallup and Tony Pollard now gone, it’s easy to see how Ferguson takes another step forward this upcoming season.
"To me, I think I'm not even scratching my surface," Ferguson told ESPN in May. "There's so many things that I want to get better at and I know I can get better at. We watch film every day of different games, even the practices we're doing now and I'm like, 'OK, I can get a lot better still."
With Ferguson due to make just over $2 million over the next two seasons, he may be the best value tight end in the NFL, and certainly worth keeping around for longer than that.
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