Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys tight end group is rather interesting this year.
Competition is becoming a buzzword around the Cowboys this offseason, both from new head coach Brian Schottenheimer and outside observers of their recent practices. One position that certainly won’t lack for it is tight end, where several candidates are in the running for the last spot or two on the depth chart.
Two guys we know will make the roster are Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker. Ferguson is the returning starter with high hopes for a bounce-back year after injury issues in 2024. Schoonmaker is entering just his third season since Dallas made him a second-round pick and gained valuable experience during Ferguson’s absences. There may be some competition between them for the starting job and snaps throughout the year, but neither is on the roster bubble.
How many TEs will Dallas keep beyond those two? If fullback Hunter Luepke makes the team, he has some position flex as a small TE and can handle some of the same duties on special teams. In Week 1 last year, the Cowboys only had three active TEs with Ferguson, Schoonmaker, and Brevyn Spann-Ford. Though John Stephens Jr. was also carried on the official roster while injured, he never dressed for a game before finally going to injured reserve in October.
Assuming Luepke makes the team again, that could easily mean just one more roster spot for a tight end. Spann-Ford, who played in all 17 games as an undrafted rookie, feels like the favorite. He has rare size at 6’7” and got over 300 offensive snaps throughout the year. That investment could pay off quickly, especially with the continuity of TE coach Lunda Wells being one of the few holdovers from Mike McCarthy’s staff.
Spann-Ford won’t go unchallenged, though. Third-year prospect Princeton Fant is another Wells pupil who got playing time last year and has some unique skills as a converted running back. John Stephens, mentioned above, is one of those guys who flash big in the summer but can’t stay healthy and contribute in the regular season. As a former WR, Stephens also offers some position flex and roster value if he can finally have better luck medically.
Two new undrafted rookies join the competition this year in Virginia’s Tyler Neville and Auburn’s Rivaldo Fairweather. While neither was highly rated coming out of college, both have big-school experience and are only going up against other former UDFAs at the bottom of the roster. They’re only camp bodies until further notice; plenty of potential to quickly rise the ladder if they show well. Even Spann-Ford has no strong grip on a roster spot at this point.
Much about the TE roster bubble depends on how many they actually keep. Hunter Luepke’s versatility impacts that, as do the needs at other positions. If a guy like John Stephens also helps you at WR, that can affect the math. The Cowboys will have an interesting mix of options to complete the depth chart in...
