The Dallas Cowboys are no strangers to emphasizing the tight end position. Since the days of the future Hall of Famer Jason Witten, tight end has been a staple of the organization. Since Dalton Schultz walked from failed contract negotiations a few years back, Jake Ferguson has taken on the role with ease and has developed a robust relationship with Dak Prescott.
It was a down year for Ferguson last year, but he missed time with a concussion and a knee injury. Barring any kind of long-term injury, Ferguson is on pace to have his most receptions ever in a single season, and it helps the Cowboys while they have wide receiver injuries to overcome.
Ferguson is quietly dominating tight ends in receptions this season. He stands alone at the top with 41 catches through five games, 12 more than Cardinals star Trey McBride, who's second with 29 catches.
Cowboys' Jake Ferguson has been the best tight end in the NFL this season
Not only is he first among tight ends with 41 grabs, he is also second among receivers. Only Rams phenom Puka Nacua has more catches than Ferguson, with 52. He is also fourth among TEs with 272 receiving yards and tied for third with three touchdowns.
This is what Dallas needed with injuries mounting on the offensive side, and it's paying off for the four-year man out of Wisconsin.
Cowboys fans didn't really know what to expect when CeeDee Lamb went down, but it didn't take Ferguson long to answer that question. Following the loss against Chicago, it was clear that the offense could get something going with Ferguson, but his receptions looked like nothing but empty calories, as Brian Schottenheimer wasn't forcing his receivers far enough down the field.
Since KaVontae Turpin went down with a foot injury, it was clear that Ferguson was going to get tons of attention, but after the explosive game from Ryan Flournoy, it seems the Cowboys are all of a sudden in great shape, with both Flournoy and Ferguson showing out.
Ferguson catching nine passes for 49 yards and two touchdowns against the Jets is exactly what fans were waiting for. It's one thing to get 13 receptions in a game, but it doesn't matter if you don't do much with them.
Ferguson's contract extension is paying off hugely, and being on top of the reception leaderboard shows this kind of production was in the making at some point.
Ferguson could very well get his second Pro Bowl selection this year. The only critique is that the Cowboys' offense should continue testing him down the field and in the red zone. Two-yard out checkdown routes aren't going to do it, but it seems that Schottenheimer has seen through all of that, and he's got Ferguson in a great place right now while the WR room is on the mend.