When you think of the Dallas Cowboys heading into 2024, you’ll probably conjure up images of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons…and maybe all of them sitting at Jerry Jones’ table for contract negotiations (which don’t appear to be going all that great).
However, you probably won’t think of tight end Jake Ferguson.
That might be a mistake.
Ferguson may actually be the second-best weapon Prescott has at his disposal in the passing game behind Lamb, and Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team has labeled him a player to watch for the Cowboys.
“They plan to move him around and make him an even more versatile option in the offense,” Meirov wrote. “With all the talk about Dallas needing to pay record contracts for their quarterback (Dak Prescott), receiver (CeeDee Lamb), and pass rusher (Micah Parsons), another big year from Ferguson could lead to discussions about him demanding a record tight end contract.”
Oh boy. Please no more Dallas contract discussions…
Regardless, Ferguson is coming off of a breakout 2023 campaign in which he played every game and hauled in 71 receptions for 761 yards and five touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
The 25-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Wisconsin, was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
Ferguson had a very limited role during his rookie year, logging 19 catches for 174 yards and a couple of scores.
Will Jake Ferguson post even bigger numbers for the Cowboys in 2024?
Dallas really does not have a whole lot of depth in terms of pass-catchers.
Behind Lamb, the Cowboys have Brandin Cooks and then a bunch of unproven options at wide receiver. Cooks himself was a disappointment in 2023.
That means Ferguson could end up having an even larger role in Dallas come September.
It makes plenty of sense, considering the Cowboys seem likely to have a weak—or at least uninspiring—running game, so Ferguson could be the guy the team targets in short-yardage situations.
Ferguson actually amassed 102 targets last season, which ranked second on the team after Lamb. We’ll see if that number gets a bit of a bump in 2024.
The Cowboys will play their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams this Sunday.
