Dallas Cowboys: Day 3 Rookie to See Larger Role in Opener
The Dallas Cowboys will go into their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without their WR2 Michael Gallup. Even worse, they could potentially start the season with their rookie play-maker Jalen Tolbert as a healthy scratch. Part of the team's inactive players. Being down even more skill position and play-makers, when the team is […]
The Dallas Cowboys will go into their season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers without their WR2 Michael Gallup. Even worse, they could potentially start the season with their rookie play-maker Jalen Tolbert as a healthy scratch. Part of the team's inactive players.
Being down even more skill position and play-makers, when the team is already lacking in that, is not how they want to start the year.
Quarterback Dak Prescott will throw a heavy amount of his passes to WR CeeDee Lamb, TE Dalton Schultz, RB's Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, and potentially WR Noah Brown. Expecting to get the start across from Lamb.
However, based on how the Cowboys play offense, we should also expect to see a big dose of rookie TE Jake Ferguson. The 2022 fourth-round draft pick has skyrocketed up the depth chart this off-season, giving the Cowboys much needed depth at the position.
Even though Schultz firmly occupies the TE1 position, and a healthy connection with Dak, expect to see plenty of both TE's on the field.
The Dallas Cowboys base offense is a three WR, 11-personnel (one RB, one TE) look. However, they still ran multiple TE looks. Both in running and passing plays.
Out of 12-personnel, the Dallas Cowboys ran 290 plays (24% overall) in 2021. However, they had a 10% higher success rate is pass plays, and 4% higher rate in the run, than in their base offense, according to Sharp Football Stats.
Ferguson is one of the Cowboys most reliable targets. His ability to get open and make plays with the ball will make him a serviceable emergency target for his QB.
In 2021, Dak threw 122 passes to the TE position, completing 77.1% of his passes. Averaging 10.1 yards per reception. While Schultz takes up the majority of these numbers, Ferguson won't simply be an extra run blocker.
He comes into his rookie season as a much more defined run blocker on the edges, as well as great hands and athleticism that the Cowboys were able to develop separately into Blake Jarwin and Schultz.
Don't expect him to simply be a special teams player. Head coach Mike McCarthy has given him high praise for his instincts and skills. As the incoming TE2, all the snaps that went to Jeremy Sprinkle and Sean McKeon.
As a receiver, blocker and all the above, Ferguson is going to have a busy and active first career game.
Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
