In Week 1 of the Cowboys‘ wayward 2024 season, there was probably already a sign that it was not going to be a very good year for tight end Jake Ferguson. He injured his knee after three catches for 15 yards, and was then forced to sit out Week 2. He came back in Week 3 to re-establish the strong link with Dak Prescott that helped him land a spot in the 2023 Pro Bowl (six catches, 95 yards) but it would turn out, that Week 3 showing was his best game of the year.
Ferguson was not quite the same, and the fact that Prescott then went out with a nasty hamstring injury during Week 8 didn’t help. Then, Ferguson had a concussion that put him out for two games, and by the time the year was over, he had tallied 494 yards in 14 games without a touchdown, a fraction of the production he had provided in 2023.
The Cowboys offense as a whole tumbled in 2024, going from first in points to 21st, and dropping from fifth in yards to 17th. That was hardly all Ferguson’s fault. But he knows he needs an individual rebound to help fuel a more general team rebound.
“I definitely wasn’t satisfied with how I played all last year,” Ferguson said, according to Nick Harris of the Forth Worth Star-Telegram.
Cowboys’ Jake Ferguson: ‘Trying to Dial In’
Ferguson pointed out that the injuries did have an impact, but said they were no excuse for his overall sagging performance. He had five touchdowns in 2023, and even in 2022 when he caught only 19 balls all season as a rookie, he still had two TDs.
Going back through college, he had 13 total touchdowns in four seasons at Wisconsin, but had at least two scores in each of his years. Even when he was injured and limited to seven games as a junior, he still had seven touchdowns.
“My knee hurt, for sure,” Ferguson said. “The concussion was weird. But I’ve said this before, if I’m on the field, I should be able to give it my all. I don’t think I’ve ever played a full season and not scored a touchdown. That was something that I came into this offseason really working on. Just trying to really dial in on those things.”
Getting Prescott healthy and productive again is Job 1 for the Cowboys, and it will be imperative that Prescott use both star receiver CeeDee Lamb and newly acquired fellow star George Pickens. But that could leave a lot of room open over the middle for Ferguson. He’s aiming to take advantage of it.
