Heading into his fifth NFL season, Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson remains a crucial piece in Brian Schottenheimer’s playbook. His toughness makes him a reliable target, but there’s one major concern that could eventually become a vulnerability that opponents would try to exploit.
Apparently, the 27-year-old fumbles a lot. So much so that his numbers are disproportionately high compared to his peers around the league. On July 10, ESPN released its final tight end rankings for the 2026 season. Unfortunately, the Cowboys star failed to make it to the top 10.
NFC Scout Opens Up on Jake Ferguson
According to the latest rankings and stats from the last two years, Ferguson’s fumble-to-catch ratio is 5%. That means he tends to fumble at least once every 20 catches.
Compare that to players like Travis Kelce, whose ratio is significantly lower at just 1%. Over the last two seasons, Ferguson recorded seven fumbles on 141 receptions. Kelce, on the other hand, has recorded 173 receptions while fumbling only three times.
“He’s really solid all around, high catch volume, tough, competes in the run game. His problem is fumbling. We targeted trying to get the ball loose when we played him,” an NFC scout told ESPN.
Keeping his fumbles stat aside, Ferguson is still a reliable target for any quarterback. To put that into perspective, last season he racked up 82 catches and emerged as a prime red-zone target for the Cowboys. According to PFN’s TE Impact Metric, Ferguson posted an impact score of 74.9, ranking 19th in the league.
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His tendency to lose the ball is particularly visible when it’s crowded, mostly on short passes. However, that’s no excuse for a player like Ferguson, who signed a four-year, $52 million contract last offseason.
If he continues to put the ball on the ground, the Cowboys have enough options in the locker room to challenge him. Luke Schoonmaker, a former second-round pick, would be next in line to replace Ferguson. He is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Similarly, Brevyn Spann-Ford and Michael Trigg are among the other options available, both of whom could eventually develop into reliable starters.
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In the overall tight end rankings, Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers topped the list. Even though his second season was plagued by injuries, Bowers still managed to earn the confidence of voters. Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride, San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle, and Detroit Lions’ Sam LaPorta were among the other players who made the list.
