Jake Ferguson made a big splash in his second NFL season with the Dallas Cowboys.
We've talked a lot about the high level of production the Dallas Cowboys got from a few players in 2023, particularly quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
While much of the buzz surrounding head coach and play-caller Mike McCarthy has been largely positive lately, there's no denying that he elevated the offensive production in his first season in charge. Prescott and Lamb had career years, but there were a number of other players who showed up throughout the season, with tight end Jake Ferguson arguably having his best season next to Prescott and Lamb.
Ferguson had career highs all over the place, but considering 2023 was his second season in the NFL, there's nothing to say. But he has more than filled the void left by Dalton Schultz, becoming a proven, true mid-major player. Prescott's highly successful field weapon.
NFL.com names Jake Ferguson a 2023 Cowboys 'unsung hero'
With the season now over for all but four teams, there's been a lot of looking back in the NFL and media circles, and this week we saw NFL.com do it in one particular way.
They decided to select an “unsung hero” for each team, and that's about it. We're talking about players who made huge contributions to their teams that may have been unexpected. Ferguson had a following around BTB before the 2023 season, but it's safe to say that even the most optimistic of him never imagined what we saw. It may not be obvious, but he was a designated player by the Cowboys.
Dallas Cowboys: Jake Ferguson, TE
Is that…? Possible Will it be missed when playing with a star on your helmet? Anyone who has a glimmer of brilliance in Dallas will likely be on a Pro Bowl or All-Pro roster. So, let's take this opportunity to highlight Ferguson's play. The second-year tight end exploded with 71 catches for 761 yards and five TDs, ranking in the top 10 in each tight end category. According to Next Gen Stats, Ferguson ranked second among Cowboys pass catchers in targets (102), catches and yards, and fifth among tight ends in receiving yards above expectations (113). Ferguson combined his ability to find open gaps in the defense with strong run-after-catch performance (430 YAC, 6th most among TEs). He proved he's a keeper.
Unfortunately for Ferguson, this is one of the only honors he received, as contrary to the hype here, he was neither named a Pro Bowler nor All-Pro. Sure, you could argue that he deserves it.
It's important to realize that what we've seen so far in Ferguson's career is relatively unprecedented in franchise history. To date, Ferguson has appeared in 33 games for the Cowboys, ranking second only to Jason Witten in terms of production through the first 33 games of his career with the team.
First 33 games against the Dallas Cowboys
- Jason Witten: 183 targets, 127 receptions, 1,374 receiving yards, 7 receiving touchdowns.
- Jake Ferguson: 124 targets, 90 receptions, 935 receiving yards, 7 receiving touchdowns.
This will definitely continue to be a great company for Mr. Ferguson. Considering he did an incredible job from a volume standpoint last season, it stands to reason that he will continue to play a key role in the team's passing game. It's pretty impressive that they've gotten so much out of a fourth-round pick (while the second-round pick on the roster is a tight end, but that's a topic for another day).
As for other unsung heroes, it's easy to make a strong argument for Brandon Aubrey, considering he had a great rookie season. Other than that, Ferguson seems like the most logical choice.
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