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Jake Ferguson has the opportunity to earn his place as a top TE in the NFL in 2024

June 09, 2024
Philadelphia Eagles v Dallas Cowboys
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Where do you think Jake Ferguson will rank among the other NFL TEs in 2024?

The Dallas Cowboys’ 2022 fourth-round pick, Jake Ferguson, has quickly become a fan favorite after he took over the starting tight end job last season. Not only has he become a serious weapon for Dak Prescott, but his tough, gritty attitude is exactly what this team has been missing in recent years.

Currently standing at number 11 on Pro Football Network’s TE rankings (right ahead of his predecessor Dalton Schultz), Ferguson has the opportunity to show the football world that he should sit even higher on that list after 2024.

Ferguson had an outstanding season last year with 71 receptions, 761 yards and five touchdowns in the regular season, but what really stood out to fans was his intensity and passion that he showed on every single play and his commitment to his teammates and to the star. It could be argued that his attitude during the Seattle Seahawks game gave the Cowboys the extra edge that was needed to pull ahead and get the win.

Ferguson ran with the opportunity to be the Cowboys TE1 and now he is so far ahead, it might be impossible for the others to catch up. In an interview on NFL Network after the season ended, he credited the scheme and his relationship with Prescott for his leap from year one to year two. He spent a lot of time learning to fully understand the scheme and how his role fits within it, whether he was the first read or the third read. That also meant making sure he was in sync with Prescott. They spent a lot of time building their relationship on and off the field so the plays became automatic.

All of that hard work really shined on the field on Sundays (and sometimes Mondays & Thursdays) and it was a thing of beauty to watch at times. There are multiple signature Ferguson plays and many involve leaping over defenders or Prescott threading the ball through defenders to hit Ferguson down the seam.

Ferguson was quoted last season saying he would stay with Prescott “till the wheels fall off” and in what would be the final game of the season for the Cowboys, the wild card game against the Green Bay Packers, he stood by those exact words. He was one of the only players that showed up to play catching 10 of his 12 targets for 93 yards and three touchdowns in that game. Unfortunately that wasn’t enough to carry the team to the next round of the playoffs, but again it was his attitude immediately after the game that proved the type of character he is: next year starts now.

So far this offseason, Ferguson has been a man of his word. The work he has already put into his strength and conditioning was praised by Mike McCarthy at the podium at the start of the Cowboys minicamp this past week. Additionally, McCarthy credited his consistency, passion and energy for his growth since he was first drafted.

Ferguson has a real chance to become one of the best TEs in the entire league in 2024 and beyond. He had already seen more red zone targets than any other TE in the NFL last season. It could be argued that outside of CeeDee Lamb, he is the top receiving weapon for Prescott and this offense and should see even more targets now that the trust has been solidified.

Even though Ferguson proved to the world that he can be a star on this team, he hasn’t even come close to what many believe his ceiling could be. After a full season at TE1, having another year to perfect his craft under McCarthy’s offensive scheme, and continuing to build his connection with QB1, the sky isn’t even the limit for how far Ferguson can go.

If Ferguson is able to build and improve on what he accomplished last year, that would make for an incredibly entertaining season for Cowboys fans. There is no doubt that he could leap a handful of other TEs to become one of the top five - possibly even higher. When all is said and done and the 2024 season comes to a close, where do you think Jake Ferguson will rank among the rest of the TEs in the NFL?


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