It is no surprise that the Dallas Cowboys have a wide variety of needs heading into the 2025 offseason. With substantial changes coming on the coaching side of things and plenty of familiar faces expected to leave in free agency, there will be no shortage of holes to fill via the NFL draft and NFL free agency. One position that is being slightly ignored is the tight end position.
Starting tight end Jake Ferguson is heading into the final year of his rookie deal and is coming off the worst season of his young career since being drafted in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Ferguson battled through multiple injuries in 2024 and was unable to build the same connection with Cooper Rush when he was able to get back to full strength. In 14 games, Ferguson posted 494 yards, on 59 receptions, and zero touchdowns on the year.
Jake Ferguson of Dallas had the lowest TE DYAR ever, while Elijah Moore had the third-lowest WR DYAR ever.
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The Cowboys also just drafted Luke Schoonmaker in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Michigan but have yet to see much production out of the 6-foot-6, 250-lb tight end. In his two years in the National Football League, Schoonmaker has hauled in 35 receptions for 305 yards and three touchdowns. The interesting thing here is Schoonmaker has been labeled as a guy former head coach Mike McCarthy campaigned for on draft day, making him a possible trade candidate this offseason if the new coaching staff is not a fan.
Dallas has two respected tight ends currently on the roster, but with Ferguson having a down year and Schoonmaker struggling to produce, could the Cowboys look to add to the room with one of their three top 100 draft picks?
In what seems to be a loaded tight end class, there should be plenty of options to add to the room on day one and day two. Penn State TE Tyler Warren is the consensus TE1 in this class, with Michigan TE Colston Loveland, Texas TE Gunnar Helm, LSU TE Mason Taylor, and Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr. all expected to go inside the top 100. While it is tough to foresee the Cowboys spending their first-round pick on a tight end, there is a scenario in a trade-back where Tyler Warren could be the best player available on the board.
Outside of Warren, this draft possesses some interesting options at tight end in the middle rounds. Players like Loveland, Helm, and Fannin Jr. are interesting day two options, but the day three tight ends could add some much-needed juice to the tight end room that could benefit Dak Prescott and the Cowboys passing game. Oregon TE Terrance Ferguson, Georgia Tech TE Jackson Hawes, Syracuse TE Oronde Gadsen II, Iowa TE Luke Lachey, Georgia TE Benjamin Yurosek, and Clemson TE Jake Briningstool are some intriguing options that could be had on day three that could provide a TE1 ceiling at the NFL level.
With so many holes at important positions for the Cowboys heading into 2025, it is quite easy to look past the tight end position, but it is a position and a class that could provide the Cowboys with an upgrade whether that comes at the TE1 spot.