Blogging The Boys
Here is a look at the state of the Cowboys tight end group.
After the Dallas Cowboys acquired George Pickens from the Pittsburgh Steelers, you can see the vision for this year’s offense. Furthermore, when examining all the offensive skill positions, you start to notice how balanced the group has become. Tight end hasn’t had any major newcomers like wide receiver and running back, so it’s gone under the radar.
Yet, the depth, stability, and importance of the position cannot be undervalued. Dak Prescott loves utilizing his tight ends. As we’ve seen over the years, tight ends get better when playing alongside Prescott - like Blake Jarwin and Dalton Schultz. For the full success of the offense, tight end is a very important skill group. In continuing with our roster rundown series, we center our focus on the Cowboys’ tight ends.
Upon being drafted in the fourth round in 2022, it took Ferguson a year to get acclimated at the NFL level. However, in year two Ferguson quickly established himself among a crowded tight end group before ultimately taking the TE1 role after Schultz’s departure to the Houston Texans. Ferguson took a huge step forward in his second season, with 71 receptions for 761 yards and five touchdowns. His 2023 efforts earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl. Ferguson has the catch radius to make difficult grabs and can make plays after the catch due to his toughness to fight for extra yards. Ferguson missed three games last season and wasn’t the same after returning to the starting lineup. Ferguson enters the final year of his contract and is set up for a monster year at just the right time financially.
When Schoonmaker was drafted with the 58th overall pick in 2023, it drew the ire of fans. Recent history has shown that the Cowboys taking a tight end in the second round hasn’t panned out and the value of taking one in the second round hasn’t proven to be worth the investment. The decision was all the more puzzling because Ferguson was already on the roster and Prescott’s ability to get the most out of the position.
In Schoonmaker’s defense, he did boast an impressive athletic profile making him an enticing prospect. His RAS score was very impressive.
Furthermore, could Schoonmaker be improving? Schoonmaker tripled his production in 2024 in terms of yards and receptions. He also improved his catch rate to 75% and had a 55.6 success rate, indicating he was making more meaningful plays. Schoonmaker may be starting to bloom before our eyes.
The first thing that stands out about Brevyn Spann-Ford is his size. At 6’ 7”, 270 lbs. he’s the Cowboys blocking tight end. He was a standout at the University of Minnesota in that role, oftentimes looking like a slightly smaller offensive tackle. As a rookie he played in all 17 games, which is a pretty good feat. That said, he has to clean...
