Cowboys coaches are hyping up unlikely hero that could be a solution if Jake Ferguson misses games

The Dallas Cowboys seem to believe tight end Jake Ferguson has a legit shot at playing next Sunday against the New Orleans Saints despite suffering a knee injury in the team's Week 1 win over the Cleveland Browns.

Head coach Mike McCarthy stated Ferguson would work with the "return to play group" on Wednesday and the Cowboys will see how that goes. Meanwhile, Jerry Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan that "(Jake) is very excited about playing (on Sunday).

Despite the owner's bold and optimistic statement, Ferguson's status is up in the air. The fact that they're facing a relatively "easy" matchup (if there's such thing in the NFL), could persuade the team to be patient with one of its most important playmakers on offense.

Thus, Cowboys coaches are already working on a plan to potentially replace Ferguson if needed next weekend. On Monday, I discussed how important Luke Schoonmaker, John Stephens Jr., and even WR Jalen Tolbert would be to keep this offense going in the right direction without Ferguson if needed.

The Cowboys, however, might turn to an unlikely hero they've been hyping up in recent press conferences as they navigate an unfortunate situation: 2023 undrafted free agent, fullback Hunter Luepke.

Head coach Mike McCarthy said on Tuesday that "the guy you would have to put at the front of the line is Hunter (Luepke)," when discussing how the tight ends did on Sunday.

"You guys see the way we're using Hunter Luepke, I mean Hunter Luepke does not get enough credit for what he does for our offense," Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer told reporters when asked about potential replacements for Ferguson. "I think's a steal we were able to get him where we got him."

Schottenheimer revealed that during the season opener, the Cowboys called a play that "quick toss sweep to the right," in which Luepke was involved despite him not practicing the play all week long. He still made it work.

"One of the more physical players we have," Schottenheimer added. "This guy, he is physical, he loves contact, he's a low leverage player and it's not just the initial strike, it's the ability to sustain and stay low with leverage and strain and knock people back."

The Cowboys cross-trained Luepke during the offseason as a tight end, and that showed on Sunday's snap count by alignment for Luepke, via PFF :

• 10 inline (TE)
• 8 backfield
• 1 slot
• 1 wide

In other words, Luepke lined up more as a tight end than he did in the backfield and even added a couple of snaps flexed out in the slot and out wide. He's a versatile weapon and the Cowboys are treating him as such.

Now granted, if the Cowboys need to replace Ferguson for one or more games, it'll be a collective effort, as Schottenheimer also praised Schoonmaker and Spann-Ford's performances on Sunday against the Browns. But expect Luepke to be a part of that conversation moving forward.

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