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Athlon Sports
Dak Expectations For Cowboys' TE Room - 'Be The Best!'
By Adam Schultz,
11 hours ago
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott loves his tight ends. First, he developed a close relationship with Jason Witten, then Dalton Schultz, and now Jake Ferguson.
After having a second-year leap for the ages that saw Ferguson become one of the better tight ends in football, he is now the leader of a youthful-looking room.
Luke Schoonmaker and John Stephens Jr. are entering their second year, while Brevyn Spann-Ford will embark on his first NFL season.
But that matters little to Dak; he's expecting big things from the tight-end room in 2024.
“To be the best tight ends in the game,” Prescott said of his expectations for the room. “I’m going to start and put the pressure on Ferg [Jake Ferguson]. Obviously, he leads it; he’s the oldest guy in that group. But John Stephens, [Luke] Schoonmaker, Brevyn [Spann-Ford], some guys that can play, some guys that have great size, that are matchup advantages. But it starts with Ferg, his intensity, approach to the game, and how he leads those guys in the meeting room. I know if he can rub off on them more and more, they’ll be a hell of a room.”
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Ferguson developed into one of Prescott's favorite weapons last year, not named CeeDee Lamb, hauling in 71 receptions for 761 yards and five touchdowns.
Now, he's expected to take his game up a level again. As for Schoonmaker, time is running out for the former Michigan product to start producing on the field. It has always been something with Schoon (constantly battling injuries), and if he's not careful, Stephens Jr. will overtake him.
Having had a seriously good training camp last season until his ACL injury, Stephens Jr. is back and better than ever. He is stacking good days of production in Oxnard and is now thought of as a genuine weapon for Dak.
Then there's Spann-Ford. He's more of a blocking tight end than one who will consistently get you five catches, but he can catch and move downfield quickly with his 6'7 frame. He's shown enough in camp and Dallas' preseason games to make the final roster and now he'll have to do it in the regular season.
Dak has high expectations for his young tight end room, let's see if they can cope with them in what is looming as one of the most pressurized seasons in recent memory.
Will the newest version of The Four Horseman take this offense to new heights? We're about to find out.
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