Cowboys Tight End Review: Jake Ferguson Shows Up, Luke Schoonmaker Letdown
When Dalton Schultz left the Dallas Cowboys for the Houston Texans via free agency last offseason, the tight end position was a question mark for Mike McCarthy's offense.
Schultz developed into Dak Prescott's security blanket and with him gone, it was Jake Ferguson's time to shine ... and shine he did.
Ferguson would finish the regular season with 761 yards from his 71 receptions (both rank second on the Cowboys roster) and five touchdowns as he developed a good connection with Prescott, particularly on seam routes where Ferguson was able to get upfield for big gains.
As the year went on, Dallas' decision to move on from Schultz looked vindicated as Ferguson (761) would have more receiving yards than the now Texans tight end (635).
Ferguson's best games came against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8 (7 catches, 91 yards, 1 TD), and the playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers (10 catches, 93 yards, 3 TDs).
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Among tight ends, Ferguson would finish the year eighth in yards, ninth in receptions, tenth in yards per game, and was joint-third for touchdowns. That equates to a good season.
Such was his season, that Ferguson, who developed a habit of hurdling over defenders, showed he is more than capable of leading the tight end room for years to come.
Now we get to second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker, who was supposed to be a key add to the self-described "Four Horsemen.''
The Michigan Wolverine had a slow start to preseason after he was diagnosed with plantar fasciitis and was in a moon boot for a large portion of OTA's.
Schoonmaker was drafted for his run-blocking ability, but also his 4.58 speed. While we saw Schoonmaker in the Cowboys run game which at times, failed to get going, we hardly saw him as a pass-catching option.
The rookie would catch just eight passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns as he played just 31 percent of offensive snaps.
Now, we aren't into quick judgments based on one season as Jalen Tolbert showed that the second-year leap is a real thing. So the same "let the cake bake" idea will be used for Schoonmaker.
Having a full preseason will no doubt help and if he can build on his efforts this year, Schoonmaker could, in theory, develop into another offensive weapon for Prescott.
Other tight ends in Peyton Hendershot, who dealt with an ankle injury that kept him out for two months only caught four passes for 38 yards. Sean McKeon managed to play just 16 percent of the offensive snaps as he spent most of his playing time on special teams where he played 58 percent of the snaps for John Fassel's unit.
Overall, coach Mike McCarthy got good production from Ferguson as his No.1 tight end and the future looks bright for the Cowboys at the position.
The hope is that Schoonmaker will make bigger strides next season as Dallas invested a second-round pick to get him.
