When you talk about Dallas Cowboys tight ends, it's difficult to not center around the conversation around the rising Jake Ferguson , who could very realistically be an NFL household name by the end of the 2024 regular season.
But the rest of the tight end room will be vastly important for Year 2 of the Cowboys running Mike McCarthy's offense. After all, the team could've used more multiple tight end sets in 2023 and players have hinted at the use of more "heavy" looks going into the upcoming season.
A crucial part of those discussions has to be second-year tight ends Luke Schoonmaker and John Stephens Jr. We know the Cowboys will try to make the former work after spending a second-round draft pick on him a year ago but it's the latter who caused McCarthy to make some interesting comments recently, including one that has us thinking Stephens Jr. could compete with Schoonmaker for the TE2 job as the season progresses.
Last week, McCarthy was asked about the progress of Stephens Jr., who would've made the team in 2023 as an undrafted rookie had it not been for a season-ending injury.
"You're talking red zone obviously, he's such a big target, definitely like the way he's he's grown," McCarthy told reporters, pointing toward the obvious.
However, the head coach and offensive architect admitted describing Stephens Jr. as someone they'll use sparingly would be a mistake:
"But yeah, I'm not looking at him as just a situational player, if you look at training camp and particularly the fundamentals, the drill work, the combination periods, (...) I think he's done a much better job in the inline blocking, so I am very happy with the progress he's made," McCarthy added.
Stephens Jr. developing as a run blocker will be huge to earn the coaches' trust on this scheme. Even if the Cowboys remain a pass-happy team in 2024, McCarthy wants his tight ends to be able to run block, a big reason why the team carried UDFA rookie Brevyn Spann-Ford as the fourth tight end on the team this year.
As a pass catcher, Stephens Jr. has proven he can make some tough grabs and that he can line up just about everywhere, including outside the numbers. An advantage Stephens Jr. might have over Schoonmaker in terms of earning playing time will also be availability. Although Stephens Jr. missed out on his rookie year, Schoonmaker's list of injuries keeps getting longer and longer.
That being said, McCarthy did specify Stephens Jr. had to focus on special teams as the Cowboys figure out which 48 players would be active on gameday. McCarthy's emphasis on special teams shouldn't be perceived as a knock on Stephens Jr.'s chances at earning a TE2 role considering Schoonmaker was among the Cowboys players with the highest special teams snap counts last year at 50%, per Pro Football Reference.
"He definitely has done some really really good things in the passing game but special teams, that's really the area he has to to really focus on, because that's what a lot of these decisions will come down to," McCarthy said.
Buckle up, we might have an in-season TE2 competition in our hands. In the meantime, remember the name. John Stephens Jr., wearing No. 81, will be more than just a situational player on the 2024 Cowboys offense.
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