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Dallas Cowboys pre-training camp position breakdown series, looking at the tight ends

The Dallas Cowboys have a variety of options at tight end.

It has officially been four years. People who started high school or college (generally) have walked the stage and received their diplomas in the time since.

Obviously I am talking about since Jason Witten played tight end for the Dallas Cowboys.

Gold Jacket Witt last suited up for America’s Team in 2019 in the season where he returned from the Monday Night Football booth. It was going to be interesting to see how the Cowboys handled the tight end position given that it was basically the first time in the 21st century that they had a real competition at the position.

From 2020 on we have seen them churn out a variety of options there. There is a lot of credit to go around in this regard starting with the actual players playing the position themselves, but the play-callers (Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy) and quarterback Dak Prescott have all shown an ability to succeed despite different names rolling through over time.

Even though it sounds like we are talking about a significant length of time it is still only a four-year sample. Blake Jarwin was intended to be the face of it at its beginning but Dalton Schultz quickly ascended to the throne. Last year provided a new opportunity for someone to stake their claim and Jake Ferguson did so admirably which makes us feel good about where things stand this summer.

We are in the process of rolling out our roster breakdown series in the lead-up to training camp and today if it isn’t obvious we are taking a look at the tight end group. You can visit any exercise that we have done already right below. I also drop videos discussing these every Tuesday and Thursday on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel.

Jake Ferguson

There wasn’t a full buy-in on Jake Ferguson as the answer for the Cowboys at tight end prior to the start of last season. It wasn’t necessarily a lack of belief in Ferguson specifically as much as it seemed like he was just the next man up on the depth chart in Dalton Schultz’s departure.

To his credit, Ferguson proved any doubters wrong and became a tried and true part of the offense that saw the Cowboys have as much success that they did throughout the season. He only caught five touchdowns which was a dip from Schultz’s best season with the team (eight in 2021) but he certainly proved to be a starting-caliber player.

In a non-measurable sense, Ferguson also proved to be that guy within the Cowboys offense, the one who was willing to hit a different gear and get in the face of opponents in a different way. He was all over Jamal Adams when the Cowboys played the Seattle Seahawks right after Thanksgiving and dudes like that are a welcome and necessary part of an overall operation.

Even though Ferguson “only” scored five touchdowns, he was highly productive from a yardage standpoint. He reached the 750 yard receiving mark which has not happened all too often in franchise history outside of the aforementioned Schultz season and basically all of the time for Jason Witten.

He is as cemented of a starter as there can be on this roster. If we agreed to put superstars like CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons in their own tier, then there is an argument to be made that Ferguson occupies the next level of airspace.

Ultimately the situation at tight end has nothing to do with Ferguson, but behind him lies a few questions.

Luke Schoonmaker

Most NFL teams are used to a second-year, second-round player existing as a foundational part of their roster, but they are not built like us. This is the Dallas Cowboys, baby.

That Ferguson turned in an impressive season right after Dallas selected Luke Schoonmaker made the pick feel frustrating. You don’t generally draft anyone in the second round and have basically nothing but questions about them in year two, yet here we are.

All told Schoonmaker had eight catches (off of just 15 targets) as a rookie. Thankfully two of them found the endzone although the one we will remember most is the one that infamously didn’t in Philadelphia. His offseason began with shoulder surgery like his Maize and Blue brother Mazi Smith, and to make matters worse he was absent from OTAs due to a hamstring issue. Remember that he had a foot injury prior to his rookie season beginning.

Ultimately this all feels rather not great, but Schoonmaker is a second-year, second-round pick, which means he will receive a healthy amount of opportunities to prove himself as a contributing option. It feels like right now we have no reason other than willful optimism to believe but perhaps that ultimately does wind up being true.

Peyton Hendershot

During the 2023 season it felt like Dallas had found their post-Dalton Schultz answer in more than one way. With (at the time) rookies Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot popping in their few moments, the idea of letting Dalton Schultz walk wasn’t too daunting.

Ferguson was given deference and Schoonmaker was drafted so that relegated Hendershot to an awkward spot. He appeared in only eight games last season and apparently had a minor medical procedure this offseason that caused him to initially miss the mandatory minicamp. It feels like Hendershot may wind up being a victim to someone else being in “we don’t want to lose this guy” territory.

We see this phenomenon happen year after year at different position groups. Youth is an ideal quality on NFL rosters in a lot of ways, but a notable one is the money involved. Hendershot was an undrafted free agent two years ago so it isn’t like he is on the books for big money, but we have seen the Cowboys’ wandering eyes at tight end for about a year now. Given that Hendershot has less stability than Ferguson or Schoonmaker, it seems possible that he may be the new-look version of Sean McKeon in terms of older player getting phased out.

John Stephens Jr.

This is certainly a name to watch. Last year John Stephens Jr. captivated the attention from basically every Cowboys fan and he looked very much like a UDFA that was going to continue the team’s tradition of turning into something special. Unfortunately he tore his ACL in the same game that Dallas lost linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.

Stephens Jr. offers a legitimate redzone weapon and if you can be that on a consistent basis you are going to certainly have a locker inside of an NFL building. Assuming he can re-find the form that he had last training camp and early in the preseason, then he stands to be the player who kicks Hendershot.

Stephen Jones has spoken highly of Stephens Jr. at just about every opportunity this offseason. It is clear that the team’s brain trust has an affection for him which will also not hurt in terms of potential and ability to make the roster.

But coming back from a torn ACL is not easy which is why caution should be applied (with Overshown as well). Oxnard awaits.

Brevyn Spann-Ford

Following the NFL draft, the Cowboys agreed to terms with undrafted free agent tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford out of Minnesota. The terms involved are significant.

Spann-Ford was reportedly among the highest-paid UDFAs in this year’s class which signifies a sequence of things relative to where he stands with the Cowboys:

The Cowboys really wanted to make sure they got him
Which means that they did not want to lose out on him
Therefore he stands a good chance to make the roster

This is admittedly a set of assumptions, but money talks and we are always told to follow it in terms of predicting things in this world. Given the team’s financial devotion to Spann-Ford, he seems like someone who is going to receive some favorable opportunities to prove the team right.

Obviously anything can change but Spann-Ford does things on the field that will likely make the Cowboys fall even more in love with him. He is a great blocker and can be an asset in the run game which is what you want from your down-the-depth-chart tight ends.

Spann-Ford is a great pet candidate and therefore a name to watch. It feels like at least one but potentially two roster spots will come down to him, Stephens Jr. and Hendershot.

Princeton Fant and Alec Holler

By now it should be obvious that anybody else on the Cowboys roster is going to have to do something special to impress and is maybe looking for a practice squad spot at best. Princeton Fant and Alec Holler are facing seriously uphill battles but such has been the case for many players in the past who pressed on and found a way.

Is that possible here? Can things really go in a totally unpredictable direction? Tight end is ultimately one of the more stable spots on the team, certainly at the top, even though there is a significant question with Luke Schoonmaker.

That’s the thing. With tight end there are definitely questions but we know what they are and can sort of anticipate answers to them. Hopefully somebody surprises us in some way, shape or form.

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