Is Jake Ferguson playing today? Latest updates for Cowboys TE

It would not have made a different last week if the Dallas Cowboys had Jake Ferguson. The defense didn't give Dak Prescott and the offense a chance of keeping the game competitive, but the offense may have been more clinical once it crossed midfield if Prescott had his dynamic tight end.

While the Cowboys scored on their first four possessions, two of them resulted in Brandon Aubrey field goals. It is evident after two games that Dallas does not have any weapons that strike fear into an opponent outside of CeeDee Lamb and Ferguson. That is an indictment on the front office.

With the Ravens' zestful offense visiting A&T Stadium, the Cowboys could really use Ferguson to take attention away from Lamb.

Nursing an MCL sprain and a bone bruise that shelved him for Week 2, Ferguson returned to practice this week in a limited capacity. He wore a wrap over his knee, but he didn't suffer any setbacks and has officially been cleared to play after practicing in full on Friday and Saturday.

Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson will play in Week 3 vs. Ravens

Ferguson's return should be a huge boost to Dallas' offense. Last week, second-year receiver Jalen Brooks failed to step up as a reliable outlet for Prescott. He slipped on a route that caused a pass to get intercepted and missed a block that may have resulted in a Brandin Cooks rushing touchdown.

Speaking of Cooks, he only caught two passes for 19 yards in the game. While Cooks is Prescott's second WR, he is clearly the Pro Bowler's third-favorite weapon behind Lamb and Ferguson.

Jalen Tolbert stepped up with six catches for 82 yards, but he didn't come alive until the Cowboys were down multiple scores. Tolbert did not cover himself in glory as a blocker, either.

2023 second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker is the only pass-catcher that stepped up in Ferguson's absence. He caught all six of his targets for 43 yards, including a nifty one-handed grab that moved the chains. Schoonmaker will get demoted with Ferguson returning, but it will be interesting to see if Prescott looks his way on Sunday after the best game of his young career.

Prescott may want to avoid the middle of the field against do-it-all safety Kyle Hamilton, but the Ravens have given up the second-most yards to tight ends. Coming off a strong performance even in the loss, expect Prescott to look even more comfortable with his security blanket back in the lineup.

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