You've only heard Hunter Luepke's name recently because newly signed Dallas Cowboy Von Millerwould like to get his roster number.
Miller's going to have to find a way to pry it away from him, because it won't become available at final cuts. Luepke has become a fixture as the fullback in the Dallas Cowboys' offense, and we could see the best yet from him in 2026.
While true fullbacks are a dying breed in the modern NFL, there is ample evidence that Luepke isn't going anywhere this season. And yet, nobody talks about him.
Cowboys FB Hunter Luepke's job security in 2026 is very clear
This past Saturday, when the Cowboys sat nearly all of their starters in the Seattle preseason game, Luepke was among them. We saw TE D.J. Rodgers and some others getting looks as a backfield blocker, but that was just to assess their overall value.
Another clear sign is Luepke's contract. He's one of just five FBs across the league to make what's considered premium money for the position.
His $3.5 million/year deal puts him in company with Patrick Ricard (Giants), Alec Ingold (Chargers), Kyle Juszczyk (49ers), and Reggie Gilliam (Patriots) as the only top-market earners.
Even if the Cowboys wanted to move on, and there's indication of that, it wouldn't come with any cap relief. There's still $3.5 million of dead money against the deal, and Luepke's cap hit for 2026 is just $3 million.
Granted, that might not be enough to save him if Dallas was intent on freeing up the roster spot. But it certainly means there's no cap-related incentive to do so.
Hunter Luepke could be more valuable than ever this season
Not only is Luepke almost certainly making the roster again in 2026, but his usage could easily expand. That was the expectation when Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams took over the offense last year, but there actually a surprising reduction in Luepke's role.
After appearing on 30% of Dallas' offensive snaps in 2024, that dropped to just 21% last season.
Why the reduction? While Dallas did commit to the run and play-action more last year, they also hit an offensive gold mine by adding George Pickens to the mix. With Pickens and CeeDee Lamb drawing so much attention, it made sense to get more receivers and tight ends out there to take advantage.
Leupke is no slouch as a receiver in his own right, but he just can't make defenses pay the way a Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin, or even a second TE can.
Having more firepower on the field was also necessary given the Cowboys' awful defense. More playing from behind, or simply not trusting your defense to do its part otherwise, meant scoring as much and as quickly as possible.
Luepke is more valuable, and playable, when eating up clock and controlling the ball become viable strategies. Hopefully, Dallas' defensive improvements will facilitate that.
Also, with a second year to further develop his playbook, Klayton Adams may want to get more creative. A versatile fullback can be a great weapon coming out of run looks and play-action. Coming off of last season, Luepke could be much more dangerous with lowered expectations.
Even if his offensive role doesn't increase, Hunter Luepke will get at least one more season to ply his craft in Dallas. The only question now is if he'll have a new jersey number come Week 1.
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