Cowboys coach strongly hints undrafted free agent will make 53-man roster

The Dallas Cowboys' tight end room will be one of the most fascinating position battles to watch during training camp. While Jake Ferguson is one of Dak Prescott's favorite targets and an ascending star at the position, the remaining spots on the depth chart are up for grabs.

Last year, the Cowboys kept three tight ends on the 53-man roster: Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker and Peyton Hendershot. Being that the position is the deepest its been in years, Dallas could justify keeping four tight ends after roster cuts.

As a second-round pick last April, Schoonmaker has the strongest odds of the remaining options to make the team. However, he'll face stiff competition from Hendershot, 2023 undrafted free agents John Stephens Jr. and Princeton Fant, as well as 2024 undrafted free agent Brevyn Spann-Ford.

The Cowboys are bullish on all of these players so they'll have little margin for error in camp and preseason. Following a recent quote from tight ends coach Lunda Wells, though, there seems to be a preemptive favorite amongst the group to make the team: Brevyn Spann-Ford.

Brevyn Spann-Ford an early favorite to make Cowboys' 53-man roster

"It's really good quality player that we got in Brevyn," said Wells, via the team's official website."He comes here, experienced. He has great measureables – in terms of size and length. He's really athletic. He's smart. Our ability to get him, especially where we got him in free agency – it makes you get excited as a coach. He's another young guy that you have in your room to develop. He'll fit in with the room really well."

Wells brought up a great point about Spann-Ford's measureables. His gaudy 6-6, 260 pound-frame and tenacity as a run-blocker make him a strong candidate to feature in Mike McCarthy's offense in year one. He has a ways to go as a pass-catcher, but there's a reason the Cowboys gave him one of the highest guarantees ($225,000 salary and a 20,000 signing bonus) of any undrafted player.

Spann-Ford was a All-Big 10 honorable mention in each of his final two seasons at Minnesota. In 2022, his 82.7 run-blocking grade ranked No. 1 among Big 10 tight ends, per Pro Football Focus. Throughout his collegiate career, he placed in the 84th percentile at the position in run-block grade.

By drafting Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe, the Cowboys made it a point this offseason to get stronger in the trenches. Though Spann-Ford is still acclimating to the TE position, the team clearly thinks he can play a key role in fortifying a rushing attack that never really got off the ground last season.

Spann-Ford obviously has to prove his worth in camp and preseason, but it's easy to envision a world in which he outshines Schoonmaker and Hendershot in Oxnard, especially since Schoonmaker and Hendershot missed most of offseason workouts with injuries.

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