The Cowboys have built one of the league’s more dangerous offenses, but the credit doesn’t all land in the same place. Dak Prescott gets his share.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens look like a receiver pairing that can stress any defense. Javonte Williams is part of the mix, too, even if nobody is putting him in the NFL’s elite running back tier.
Jake Ferguson fits into that picture as a steady, useful piece - and ESPN’s latest league-wide ranking of tight ends backs that up. In the network’s survey of executives, coaches and scouts, Ferguson landed just outside the top 10 as an honorable mention, which puts him in that top-half range where a lot of people would probably slot him anyway.
One NFC scout summed up the case this way: “He’s really solid all around, high catch volume, tough, competes in the run game. His problem is fumbling. We targeted trying to get the ball loose when we played him.” -- NFC scout
That last part matters. Ferguson has seven career fumbles, and all of them have come over the last two seasons.
Even more specifically, every one of those turnovers has come against NFC teams: the Giants, 49ers, Eagles in three different games, Cardinals and Lions. So the criticism isn’t coming out of nowhere.
Still, the overall placement feels pretty reasonable. Ferguson is productive, dependable and good enough to start in this league without anyone blinking. That’s the reality of roster building - not every important player is going to be a star, and not every star can be paid like one.
Dallas clearly saw it that way, too. The Cowboys gave Ferguson an extension at training camp last year, and it was a modest one that lines up with this kind of evaluation.
There’s also a little NFC East note tucked into the rankings: Ferguson is the highest-rated tight end in the division. None of the others cracked the top 10, and Ferguson was the only one to show up among the honorable mentions. Dallas Goedert was listed in the “also receiving votes” group, and Dalton Schultz was there as well.
In Other News...
Cowboys Quietly Found The Veteran Caleb Downs Needed Most
For a rookie safety trying to get his footing in the NFL, the Cowboys have found a useful voice in the meeting room and on the practice field. Caleb Downs has been leaning on veteran help as he adjusts to the speed of the league and to Christian Parkers defensive scheme, and the extra work after practice has given him a chance to slow things down and sort out the details that can get lost in a hurry once the pads come on.
The value goes beyond simple repetition. The veteran guiding Downs already understands Parkers system and brings the kind of versatility Dallas wants in the secondary, which makes the teaching more practical than theoretical. For a defense still trying to define its leadership, that kind of steady presence matters, even if the bigger test for Downs is still ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Jerry Jones Faces Another Massive Cowboys Decision On Quinnen Williams
Quinnen Williams is only getting started in his first full season with the Cowboys, but his place in Dallas already looks like one of the more important long-term questions on the roster. The defensive tackle arrived with the kind of impact pedigree that makes front offices think ahead, and the Cowboys have never been shy about extending key players early when it helps them manage cap flexibility and avoid a pricier problem later.
Jerry Jones may be looking at that same playbook again, because Williams value at his position keeps climbing and the market for interior defenders is only getting tougher to navigate. Dallas can wait and see how the season unfolds, but there is a real incentive to get ahead of the next wave of defensive tackle deals before Williams price tag rises even more. [Read more 🡒]
Traeshon Holden Is Forcing His Way Into A Cowboys Camp Battle
Traeshon Holden entered last years Cowboys camp as a name to watch, and he has kept himself in the conversation heading into this summer. The second-year receiver reportedly sat higher on the depth chart during minicamp than many around the team expected, a sign that his strong moments from a year ago have carried over enough to matter in a crowded receiver room.
Holden still has work to do before he can turn that momentum into a roster spot. Dallas wants more from him as a blocker and on special teams, the same areas that kept him from carving out a clearer role last season, but the path looks more open now with some moving parts in the receiver group. If he keeps building on what he showed in camp, he could make the final decision a lot harder than it looked a few months ago. [Read more 🡒]