Jake Ferguson isn’t going to let himself get complacent.
When the Dallas Cowboys drafted tight end Jake Ferguson in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, they already had a TE1 in Dalton Schultz. So, that meant that Ferguson was going to be used a lot in 12 personnel as a blocker and take advantage of the opportunities he got here and there in the passing game. Despite only getting 22 targets, Ferguson caught 19 of them for 174 yards and two touchdowns. It was a small sample size, but his potential as a pass catchers was apparent.
Schultz was seeking a huge payday in 2023, and he got it, just not from the Cowboys. That put Ferguson firmly in the TE1 role in 2023, and he shined like a street light once the sun goes down. Ferguson finished second on the Cowboys to CeeDee Lamb in receptions (71) and receiving yards (761), and his five touchdowns were third on the team. Despite solidifying himself as the head honcho in the tight end room, Ferguson feels he’s only getting started.
“To me, I think I’m not even scratching my surface,” Ferguson said. “There’s so many things that I want to get better at and I know I can get better at. We watch film every day of different games, even the practices we’re doing now and I’m like, ‘OK, I can get a lot better still.’”
Ferguson also went into detail about why he made such a jump in his performance in 2023 compared to his rookie season.
“I think just my consistency, you know, with my prep,” Ferguson said. “I think coach Wells and I do a great job of, you know, when it’s special teams period or maybe there isn’t enough time in a practice and we’ll stay together after practice and just work on the little things. Tracking the ball with your eyes, watching the ball hit your hands, your footwork, all the little things, both in the receiving and the blocking game. And then also off the field stuff. Just making sure my focus was purely on football, and I think that helped me focus a lot more on what I was doing each game and how to get better every time.”
Ferguson can do it all from the tight end spot. He can run the entire route tree, whether it be a curl, a flat, a vertical, a flat wheel route, you name it. He’s savvy enough to find holes in zone coverage, and he possesses good hands that can highpoint the ball if needed on contested passes. Ferguson is also good in the open field when it comes to getting yards after the catch. In a short time, he’s become a great security blanket for quarterback Dak Prescott.
Speaking of Prescott, he’s pleased with the maturation so far from Ferguson in his first two seasons.
“Obviously you see the jump he made from Year 1 to Year 2,” Prescott said, “and he’s improved his intensity in his preparation just in this offseason — the way he’s treated his body, the way that he’s been communicating with me throughout the offseason, whether it’s catching and throwing, he’s a big-time playmaker for this team, this offense.”
The former Wisconsin Badger has been looking to add weight to his frame in the offseason. According to Ferguson, it’s to get better at the point of attack in the run game as a blocker. With the uncertainty behind Lamb and Brandin Cooks for the WR3 role, Ferguson could see his targets increase in 2024. So, things like improving his route-running even more and getting better at reading defenses will he key.
Now that Ferguson is the unquestioned leader in the tight end group, he wants to take his game to an even higher level.
“Make that exact same jump and try to make it even bigger,” said Ferguson. “In this league, you can’t be complacent. You got to just keep growing. You got to keep getting better, and that’s what I plan to do.”
Ferguson has quickly shot up the ranks at the tight end position throughout the NFL. He’s one of the best. If he can take it up a notch, that will give Lamb and Cooks more one-on-one chances and keep defenses honest, which also helps the running game.
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