For all the noise that surrounded him this offseason, George Pickens has emerged as one of the Dallas Cowboys' biggest winners of training camp. Not only has he been excelling on the field, but he's handled himself with more maturity amid speculation about his long-term future.
As you would expect from a player with his talent, Pickens has captured most of the headlines coming out of Oxnard. His rapport with Dak Prescott is as strong as ever, and he's been impossible for defensive backs to cover. However, for all of the highlight plays he's produced, he's far from the only weapon who's shined.
The 25-year-old's strong summer has overshadowed that of another Dallas pass-catcher: Jake Ferguson. Yes, Ferguson logged career-highs in receptions (82) and touchdowns (8) last season, but has been on another level in camp thus far. Pickens' dominance has really clouded Ferguson's impact.
Jake Ferguson has had a dominant summer with the Dallas Cowboys
While going over some Cowboys training camp updates, ESPN's Todd Archer reported that Ferguson has been "off to a strong" start in camp. While the defense is more worried about the wideouts and Dak have consistently been connecting across the middle of the field on intermediate routes.
"Tight end Jake Ferguson is off to a strong start in camp," Archer wrote. "He and Prescott have had a clear connection on the intermediate and seam throws, and they connected four times Thursday with one completion coming on a "free" play when the defense jumped early that led to a decent gain."
But that's not all. The 27-year-old caught a short touchdown from Prescott during a red-zone drill on Saturday, but Sunday offered one of his better plays. On the play in question, Ferguson hauled in a beautiful ball up the seam, and Prescott dropped it in the one place he could get it before the defenders.
The two-time Pro Bowl tight end is a player who's often overlooked within the Cowboys' offense just because of the elite players he shares the field with. Playing with CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams will do that to you, but the $52 million man is still a player who deserves respect.
Coming off his worst season as a pro in 2025, Ferguson's form this summer is really encouraging. While he set career-highs in multiple categories, Ferguson was shockingly inefficient with his targets and he struggled protecting the football, losing three fumbles. He was a reliable outlet for Prescott, but didn't offer nearly enough after the catch or threaten defenses vertically.
Ferguson returning to Pro Bowl form would supercharge this Cowboys offense. Hopefully, his play in camp is a sign of things to come.
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