Dalton Schultz 'Tweaks' Knee Injury; Cowboys Find Rookie TE Gem In Jake Ferguson?
The Dallas Cowboys may have fallen to the Philadelphia Eagles 26-17 at Lincoln Financial Field. But coach Mike McCarthy is right when he says his team "punched back'' with a second-half comeback.
And part of the reason for the Cowboys' turnaround was the play of rookie tight end Jake Ferguson.
With Dalton Schultz listed as inactive - he tweaked his already ailing knee over the weekend - Ferguson saw his game time increase. His four catches, 40 receiving yards, and a neat touchdown signaled that the Cowboys might have just found a diamond in the rough.
The fourth-rounder out of Wisconsin impressed. Ferguson displayed athleticism, coupled with quickness, good run-blocking, and ability to make defenders miss in the open field.
Is it possible Schultz may have snap competition? Certainly, as it relates to what to do contractually with Schultz in 2023 - the highly productive pass-catcher will be a free agent again after having been franchise-tagged this year at $11 million - the newcomer will be a consideration. ... As will another rookie, Peyton Henderson, the UDFA who also contributed here.)
As of now, coach Mike McCarthy tapped the brakes on going overboard. He essentially said the pair "did some good things'' (indicating the rookies also made some mistakes) and while praising Hendershot for his athletic "twitch'' said the coaches are challenged with trying to get him to slow down as he learns his job.
Still ...
In Philly, Ferguson's play that brought his team to within a field goal, in particular, raised eyebrows. Cooper Rush led his team on a 93-yard drive in the fourth quarter that ended with Ferguson catching a play-action pass. ... Then making two defenders miss as he found pay dirt for the first TD of his career.
Welcome to the NFL.
At the time of his swift move for a touchdown, Ferguson led the Cowboys in receiving yards with 38 - not exactly what people expected coming into the game. (He ended with four catches for 40 yards; Hendershot contributed two catches for 22 yards.)
How dinged-up is Schultz? That matters, but suddenly maybe so does rookie Jake Ferguson, who showed us plenty on Sunday night to suggest that he warrants more snaps going forward.
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