Following back-to-back losses, the Dallas Cowboys are finally back in the win column after a Monday Night beatdown of the rival Philadelphia Eagles, and it was about time. While the 38-21 victory saw the defense still struggle, the offense was humming for the first time since the win over the Texans.
The Cowboys scored their most points in a game this season, and Dak Prescott threw three touchdowns (two to Lamb and one to Pickens). But there is another trend to take note of here involving the pass-catchers: Jake Ferguson was considerably less involved than he usually is.
For starters, Ferguson put up a goose egg in the stat sheet, as he was targeted just once. But it goes a lot deeper than Prescott just not looking for his safety valve: Ferguson played much less than normal, logging just 38 snaps, compared to 36 for Brevyn-Spann Ford and 11 for Luke Schoonmaker.
That's roughly a 56-53-16 split in terms of percentages, which doesn't look mathematically even because of multi-TE sets, but it's still clear to see what is happening. The snap share between Ferguson and Spann-Ford was basically even, and they'd even line up together at points.
So, it seems like there is no more TE1 in Dallas anymore--which is absolutely the correct decision.
Dallas Cowboys are finally starting to move away from Jake Ferguson
The Cowboys have been bogged down by poor play-calling and offensive mistakes in recent weeks, and while it doesn't all fall on No. 87, his poor play contributed to a fair number of those mistakes. And given that he was signed to a four-year, $52 million extension shortly after the Micah Parsons trade, he's making Jerry Jones look even more foolish.
After he tipped the game-losing interception right to Alex Anzalone in the loss to the Bucs, Cowboys fans have been waiting for Brian Schottenheimer to see the light and move Ferguson more to the shadows in favor of Spann-Ford, who is a better run blocker, costs less, and isn't much worse as a pass-catcher.
Ferguson's route participation has been down in each of the last two weeks, and it was this week that it paid off. The offense exploded in a game where Ferguson's drops or fumbles did not have an impact, and while it was against an Eagles defense that has struggled, early returns are encouraging.
Amid Ferguson's diminished role, WR3 Ryan Flournoy firmly looks to be the new third option in the new passing game. And since he's exploded in the last couple of games, it's time for Dak to look his way more rather than dying on the hill of a player they're paying more money to but who has struggled.
Fewer snaps for Ferguson lower the risk of the Cowboys' offense making a mistake that could stall or end a drive, and BSF is just as impactful a security blanket for Prescott.
Jake Ferguson's struggles made things tougher on the Cowboys' offense than they needed to be, and the massive performance they had after turning away from him is proof that the slow transition from him to Brevyn Spann-Ford as the starting tight end will be worth it.
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