Everything seems Jake at tight end for Dallas in 2025

When the Dallas Cowboys let Dalton Schultz leave in free agency, many in Cowboys Nation panicked. But in doing so, they had overlooked Jake Ferguson being on the roster.

In his two seasons as the Cowboys’ starting tight end, Ferguson has played in 31 games and has 130 catches for 1,255 yards and five touchdowns.

Schultz, in his two years in Houston, has 112 catches for 1,167 yards and seven scores in 32 games.

Ferguson has been a starter in 30 of those games and was named to the 2023 Pro Bowl. Schultz has just 21 starts over the same period.

In short, the Cowboys made the correct choice.

It is one of the very few things Jerry Jones has gotten right this decade, so let’s give the man his props on those rare times when he earns them.

However, Ferguson did miss three games in 2024. The Week 2 loss to the Saints and the back-to-back wins over the Commanders and Giants in late November saw him inactive.

He’d been injured the week before just seven plays in during the loss to the Texans after catching one pass for 11 yards.

His three best games of the year were: a six-catch, 95-yard effort against the Ravens, a six-catch, 70-yard game against the Steelers, and a seven-catch, 71-yard performance against the Falcons.

For the year, his third in the NFL, he had 59 catches for 494 yards. Ironically, 2024 was the first season he failed to catch a pass for a touchdown.

He had two in his rookie year and five in 2023.

He finished the 2023 season with 761 yards on 71 catches.

Ferguson has an impressive post-season resume in just three total games. He has 11 catches on 13 targets for 127 yards and three touchdowns.

Roster Review 2025: Jake Ferguson. This is Part 13 of a series. Click here for a list of all related articles.

Outlook For 2025

For Ferguson, a return to his 2023 form is preferred. Especially in light of the final year of his contract, paying him nearly $3.4 million this fall.

The return of Dak Prescott as a starting quarterback will help.

More so if Prescott also returns to his 2023 regular season form. As well as ending his recent post-season habit of throwing first half interceptions.

Ferguson might also benefit from the new coaching staff, if it is truly going to commit to establishing a bigger running game in 2025.

If the Cowboys’ new offensive philosophy gets away from Prescott throwing the ball 40-to-50 times a game, as well as trying to force deep passes.

With a healthy running game, and Ferguson being a solid check-down option 5–6 yards downfield, everyone’s numbers should improve on offense.

Not to mention helping the defense by not putting them on the field overlong and in bad field position situations.

A season with Ferguson averaging 70–75 yards on six passes a game would translate into a successful year for the entire team. It might even result in a division title.

And, dare we say, a deeper postseason run?

Long-Term Outlook

Ferguson becomes an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 season ends.

If he is looking to remain in Dallas as the team’s starting tight end, the job is likely his. His role and future performance with the Cowboys could make him a valuable asset in DFS lineups, especially with added incentives such as the Underdog promo code for new users making picks.

The Cowboys drafted Luke Schoonmaker in 2023 to back up Ferguson and eventually be Schultz’s replacement. Schoonmaker’s foot injury history at Michigan followed him to Dallas.

While the former Wolverine’s overall numbers in 2024 improved dramatically over his rookie year, he did most of his damage when Ferguson was out.

When Ferguson played, Schoonmaker vanished. Schoonmaker is also four months older than Ferguson.

Ferguson doesn’t have the troubling injury history looming overhead that Schoonmaker does either.

With neither of the remaining tight ends on the roster appearing to be much of a threat, it seems all but certain that Ferguson will remain in a Cowboys’ uniform beyond the 2025 campaign.