Put Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer in front of a camera and a few microphones, and he’ll tell you he’s all about building a championship culture. He’ll tell you he’s all about accountability.

Schottenheimer has called out players publicly before. Last season he explained the Jaydon Blue issues and why Blue wasn’t playing. He was cut after the preseason. Earlier this year, he said Tyler Guyton would have to compete with Nate Thomas for the left tackle spot. Later, he said Terrence Steele would have to compete with Thomas on the right side.

Neither of those competitions ever got going, however.

I find that relevant now that questions are emerging about accountability because of the performance of TE Jake Ferguson—and Schottenheimer’s words on it.

Schottenheimer stands by Jake Ferguson after Buccaneers loss

After the Cowboys’ Thursday night loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Schottenheimer made his position on his starting tight end known.

“To be very, very clear, Jake Ferguson is a big, big part of what we’re building here offensively moving forward,” said Schottenheimer via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “He’s got a number of touchdowns, and the next ball that gets thrown him, I have no doubt in my mind that he is going to catch it.”

That doesn’t sound like Dallas is shaking up the tight end room.

And if the Cowboys don’t shake things up, and if Ferguson’s snap count doesn’t take a significant hit, you have to ask: where is the accountability? Where is the championship culture?

Ferguson’s touchdowns can’t hide everything else

Let’s break it down.

It’s true that Ferguson scores a lot of touchdowns. That was the case last season, and he’s off to a good start on that front again this year.

However, the rest of his game has slipped. Ferguson continues to be a liability in the run game, missing blocks and getting beat in others. His hands are also a problem. Drops haven’t been the main issue, but fumbles have. Excluding running backs, Ferguson is the NFL player with the most fumbles since 2024, and he puts the ball on the ground at an alarming rate.

He also rarely gives you anything after the catch anymore. Since his knee injury in 2024, he hasn’t looked like the yards-after-catch threat he was in 2023. Those days are long gone.

The biggest problem of all, if you ask me, is that the Cowboys have a clear-cut emerging option who could take a chunk of those snaps.

Brevyn Spann-Ford has earned a bigger role

Spann-Ford has proven to be a violent, effective blocker in both the run game and the pass game. He has also proven to be a reliable pass catcher.

At minimum, the Cowboys TE2 deserves the opportunity to play more than Ferguson. At minimum, Ferguson needs to feel a consequence for his decline in play, because that decline has been steep.

Never mind the $52 million contract extension Ferguson signed last year. That’s for the front office to worry about. The coaching staff’s job is to hold its own players accountable, and based on Schottenheimer’s early comments, that isn’t happening at tight end.

Accountability has to go beyond the podium

At least, Schottenheimer didn’t completely close the door.

“At the end of the day, everything’s being evaluated,” Schottenheimer said. “As we look at this process, no one is sicker than Ferguson about his dropped pass that turned into an interception. We know what a great player he is, but at the same time, we’re evaluating all that stuff.”

He also said there will certainly be some adjustments or changes coming.

I get it. Schottenheimer doesn’t want to blast his tight end in front of reporters, and there’s a case to be made for protecting a player publicly. But calling Ferguson a “big, big part” of what Dallas is building while expressing zero doubt about him doesn’t sound like a coach preparing to make a change.

At some point, Schottenheimer calling out players has to go beyond a comment or two in a press conference. He likes to talk about the next championship opportunity. He likes to talk about a winning culture. If the Cowboys want to be the best offense in the league, they can’t keep living with these mistakes at tight end, even less so from a $52 million player.

I need to see it. In Week 6, the snap count at tight end has to change.