The Dallas Cowboys' tight end room was one of the most appealing heading into the season. The tight end room includes Jake Ferguson, Peyton Hendershot, Luke Schoonmaker and Sean McKeon.
This group is the youngest of the new offensive scheme, so it was interesting to see how Mike McCarthy utilizes them throughout the season.
West Coast's offense focused on the passing game, and more was expected from the tight ends. But they were used to blocking, especially with injuries to the offensive line throughout the season.
But what's the biggest takeaway from the Cowboys tight end this season?
Evaluating the 2023 Dallas Cowboys tight ends
Jake Ferguson 2023 Rating
This was Ferguson's first season as the team's starting tight end, and he quickly became one of Dak Prescott's safety blankets.
During the season, the tight end's ability to create yards after the catch was clearly one of his best assets.
He also showed the ability to outrun defenders.
Fergie hurdle!! ️ @mundonfl
📺: #PHIvsDAL on NBC
📱: Streaming #NFLPlus https://t.co/YCEDNi5Ozb pic.twitter.com/SAnOAcjTJD— NFL (@NFL) December 11, 2023
He finished the season with 71 receptions, 761 yards, and five touchdowns. He never had a fumble in his two years with the team.
He's been in nearly 75% of the offensive plays this season, which sounds ideal, but many of them have been blocks.
The Cowboys' loss to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round will be remembered for his performance, but Ferguson shined with one of the only positive performances of the game.
In this game, he led the team with 10 receptions, 93 yards, and 3 touchdowns, making him the third tight end in Cowboys franchise history to reach double-digit receptions in a playoff game behind Jay Novacek and Jason Witten. became.
It will be critical to get Ferguson more involved in the passing game next season and establish him as a threat to opposing teams.
Peyton Hendershot 2023 Rating
Hendershot played in eight games this season after being placed on injured reserve (IR) for the first half of the season due to an ankle injury.
In those eight games, he played only 159 snaps and had four receptions for 38 yards.
Hendershot is an example of how blocked the tight end room was during the season, especially in the run game.
The tight end played 23% of the special teams snaps and had a big punt block in the team's final game of the regular season.
Blocked kick! Cowboys, everything from now on 🤠
📺: #DALvsWAS on FOX
📱: Streaming #NFLPlus https://t.co/X0vcyHUoyR pic.twitter.com/gahB9Ml2kf— NFL (@NFL) January 7, 2024
Hendershot had a less ideal year than expected, but it will be interesting to see how his offseason training helps in 2024.
Luke Schoonmaker's 2023 Rating
As for the Soonmakers, the rookie second-round draft pick had less involvement in the passing game than initially expected. He had three receptions for 19 yards and two touchdowns.
Soonmaker had a rough start to his rookie season, plagued by a plantar fasciitis injury.
He took mental reps during the injury, but rejoined the team at training camp in August and entered the strengthening phase.
Luke Schoonmaker will be officially on the practice field for the first time as a member of. #DallasCowboys. pic.twitter.com/895GoOfqQM
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisDC) August 7, 2023
It should be a lot different next year, as the rookie will have a year to learn the scheme and adjust to McCarthy's offense.
Sean McKeown 2023 Rating
McKeon is the most veteran player in the room, having spent the past four seasons with the Cowboys.
He hasn't had a chance to show off the stacked talent in the tight end room, but he showed it more than usual this season.
He emerged early in training camp, but started the regular season on the practice squad.
Once Hendershot was placed on IR, McKeown was promoted and appeared in nine games this season.
During this time, he had little involvement in the offense, playing just 100 snaps with one target and no receptions.
However, John Fassel used him on special teams, where he played 142 snaps.
More information: Dallas Cowboys Depth Chart
McKeon will be a free agent this offseason, but with the tight end room stacking up and John Stevens Jr. on track to return from a season-ending ACL injury, the team has It's unclear whether they want to keep him as a force next season.
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