How the Cowboys’ Jake Ferguson evolved from a seldom-used rookie TE to Dak Prescott’s No. 2 target in 2023

FRISCO, Texas — While the Dallas Cowboys envisioned veteran vast receiver Brandin Cooks being their No. 2 pass-catcher after obtaining him in an offseason industry with the Houston Texans, quarterback Dak Prescott’s exact No. 2 target at the back of All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb is second-year tight finish Jake Ferguson, a 2022 fourth-round pick of Wisconsin. His 32 catches and 328 receiving yards each rank as the second-most on the staff, whilst his 3 receiving touchdowns are tied for the maximum along Lamb. 

“Fergie is playing at an elite level,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer mentioned Monday. “He had a big fourth-down conversion for us on the under route (against the Eagles). Obviously, the touchdown is amazing, but you talk about a guy that plays the game the right way. I don’t know how much shit he talks, but he definitely talks shit. He has fun. He is passionate about what he is doing. … To see him from the start of the offseason to where he is now, I wouldn’t say surprises me, but he is playing at an elite level. I think he’s just scratching the surface.”

Ferguson totaled a career-high 91 receiving yards and a landing on seven catches — tied for his career-high — in the Cowboys’ slim 28-23 defeat at the protecting NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9. 

“[Ferguson] is the lead dog in the (tight end position) room,” McCarthy mentioned Monday. “I love his passion and aggression that he plays with. Dalton (Schultz) was an extremely productive player here the last two years, and now [Ferguson] being the guy in the room, to play that many reps is where he needs to continue to grow because there is a conditioning that goes with the physical, mental and emotional. I think he does a really good job, and I know Dak and him have a very strong connection.”

That connection flashed all over a streak of nineteen consecutive completions from Prescott to Ferguson previous this season. 

“I think we’re making the right strides for sure,” Ferguson mentioned. “Especially where I want to go. I think definitely taking the right steps, but there’s definitely a lot more work to be done. A lot more things will happen. I think the two balls that I dropped (against the Eagles) were definitely catchable, and that’s something that I focus on and after the game, we talk about. He’s like ‘Hey, I don’t know about that beeline.’ I go, ‘No, no I love it. Keep throwing those. I love that ball.’ I just have to come down with it and essentially not shy away from the hit. I think taking the right strides for sure and definitely more work to be done.”

Just lower than midway thru the 2023 marketing campaign. Ferguson has already smashed all of his totals in objectives, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns from his rookie yr. He credit his breakout with higher communique with Prescott now that he’s the “lead dog” tight finish. 

“It’s crucial whether it’s texting after practice, in the meeting room, whatever it may be,” Ferguson mentioned of his two-way comments conversations with Prescott. “If you’re correcting it, then you’re on the right track. … One mistake happens, we try to attack it head on and talk to each other, talk it out. When the next time does come, it’s not even a question. … It’s a little more vocal this year. Last year, I was just trying to get my feet under me at the beginning of the season and then towards the end, just put my head down and work. I can really make an impact and some big things on offense. I just have to be there every single time. So when Dak says, ‘I’m throwing it to Ferg,’ he has the ultimate confidence that I’m coming out with it.”

His quarterback agreed that common discussion between himself and his pass-catchers is significant when it comes to discovering good fortune in the passing sport. Prescott credit his evolved dating with Lamb as considered one of the largest causes for his breakout since Week 6. 

[Communicating off the field] goes to broaden with age, but if I got here in as a rookie, I knew I had to be on the identical web page with guys being thrown into the combine,” Prescott said Thursday. “You have to be in a position to be in contact and be in contact neatly to expedite that procedure of having on the identical web page with guys. There’s no distinction now with me being older. These younger guys want to keep in mind that and they have got to be in contact with me what they are considering and extra importantly what I’m considering as a result of I’ve were given to get you the ball and now we have were given to be on the identical web page there. So your off-field is very large. During video games, if a play comes up, I do not wait. I’m going to those guys now and speaking about what they want to do as a result of that play might arise in a very identical scenario a few avid gamers inside of the subsequent force or later in the sport. It’s at all times higher when it is recent in your thoughts, particularly with the guys that catch the ball.”

Following the Cowboys’ shocking 28-16 defeat at the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3, the handiest win for the 1-8 Cardinals this season, Ferguson made an higher, concerted effort to hook up with Prescott in an effort to save you a humiliation like that one from going down once more. 

Jake Ferguson 2023 statistics

“I think personally I was a little soft against Arizona, so I’ve kind of carried that the last couple weeks,” Ferguson mentioned. (*2*)

Following the deflating 42-10 “Sunday Night Football” defeat at the San Francisco 49ers, Ferguson made positive to let Prescott know he’s going to at all times have his again. 

“I texted him after the game and I’m like, ‘I’m with you til the wheels fall off,'” Ferguson mentioned. “He’s in that leadership role, and it’s my job to follow him and run through a brick wall if he tells me to. It’s that kind of mindset going into this. It’s like, ‘Hey, I got your back, and you know it too.’ I’m just gonna do my best to keep getting open and keep getting work done, keep getting yards.”    

Those conversations are value their weight in gold for Ferguson as he has observed his precedence in the direction development pecking order proceed to develop every week. He gave the impression to be Prescott’s No. 2 possibility proper after Lamb on his 18-yard landing that were given the scoring going in the Cowboys’ 43-20 Week 8 house win over the Los Angeles Rams. Prescott lofted the soccer simply over the most sensible of the linebackers Ferguson had simply crushed off the line of scrimmage and into the finish zone for the ranking.

“I think that kind of goes off Dak and I’s relations, what we’re trying to build and keep striving for, but it also goes back to our scheme and what Schotty and Coach McCarthy are kind of putting into our heads: ‘Hey this is the time clock in your heads when you’re running these routes. Or when you have this play, you’re maybe the two or the three read, so you have to get your depth and make sure you’re open at the 5.5-second mark, the 6.5-second mark,'” Ferguson mentioned. “Knowing in your head, ‘Hey, this is when I have to be open on these certain plays.’ And that’s attributed back to our scheme, the knowledge and all the information they’re giving us to be successful in the pass game.”

Prescott and Ferguson’s soccer conversations over textual content virtually by no means get started with the subject of soccer however quite TikTookay movies of actor and comedian Lester Green, who goes by Beetlejuice. He’s somebody whose movies they “love” since they to find him to be “the funniest dude ever” as a result of his boxing movies amongst others, in accordance to Ferguson. 

“I send him funny videos every once in a while, we’ve got this guy (Beetlejuice) that we like watching, and I’ll send him a funny video and he’ll laugh,” Ferguson mentioned. “Then, I’ll be like ‘Oh, yeah, on so and so, I might be open on this or whatever like that. It’s just the little things and I think that’s building to where we want to get to. It’s like, ‘I’m open but I don’t want to tell you I’m open.’ I like to warm him up and get him laughing a little bit and then I come in with my [recommendation]. … I’m not overly serious all the time. I like to have fun. At the same time, I know when it’s time to lock down and buckle down. Having that fine line is important.” 

Despite the expansion placed on tape via Ferguson thru the first year-and-a-half of his NFL profession, the 24-year-old tight finish went out of his approach to explain he is not glad with the place his stage of play is at this time and that his reference to Prescott may nonetheless be a lot progressed. 

“I wouldn’t say we’re a lot better now,” Ferguson mentioned. “We’re making the right strides. I still dropped two balls (at Philadelphia). Maybe the game ends up differently with those catches. I would just say we’re making the right strides to where we want go and there really is only one goal. Unless that goal (winning the Super Bowl) is achieved, I wouldn’t say we’ve made it yet.”