Jake Ferguson’s adding extremely important elements to Cowboys’ identity

The Cowboys are loaded with playmakers and star power, but Jake Ferguson adds a layer of grit and crazy the Dallas offense sorely needs. | From @ReidDHanson

For the better part of the 2023 season, Jake Ferguson has been the No. 2 option in Dallas. He trails only CeeDee Lamb in targets and receptions and with five games yet to play, he’s already nearly tripled his output from 2022.

Even though he’s been a key cog in the Cowboys machine throughout the year, it took a big day on the Thursday Night Football stage to truly elevate him into the hearts and minds of the nation. Tony Gonzalez, a former NFL tight end and current TNF analyst, gushed over his six reception, 77-yard and one-touchdown performance, prompting many to call this Ferguson’s “coming out party.”

Those close to the team know better. The former fourth-rounder from Wisconsin has been that guy in Dallas all season long. And it didn’t take a couple flashy plays in primetime football to make it official.

As a blocker, Ferguson has quietly established himself in the NFL’s top tier. Of those with at least 300 snaps, Ferguson ranks sixth in run blocking and fifth in pass protection. With the same snap minimum, Pro Football Focus grades him seventh overall this season, making him the second-youngest TE in their top-10.

But while the pure blocking and receiving numbers are great, it’s the intangibles that seem to set him apart.

“He’s a baller,” Dak Prescott said. “His mentality is why he is the guy that he is. He expects to do what he did in tonight’s game and he’s no different than me.”

It wasn’t just what Ferguson did on Thursday, but how and to whom he did it. Jawing with All-Pro Jamal Adams early, Ferguson essentially went after the biggest bully in the yard. It was a beef only made beefier when Ferguson pulled in the go-ahead touchdown in the face of Adams in the endzone.

“He’s got a lot of swag, a little bit of craziness,” described Prescott. “You want a guy who can definitely get dirty but have some swag, be able to catch some passes, go get more, finish runs. He’s talented. A young guy – a bright, bright future ahead of him.”

While the swag is nice, it’s the grit that accompanies the swag that sets him apart from other playmakers on the team. Ferguson’s “tough guy” demeanor is the grit the Cowboys offense needs. It’s not only inspiring to others, but it’s arguably what’s been lacking in recent postseason campaigns.

San Francisco, the unofficial boogeyman of the Cowboys, has out gritted Dallas in consecutive postseasons. The Cowboys offense has repeatedly bogged down against ultra-physical teams like the 49ers and need players like Ferguson to not only step up in the playmaker department but also as a team leader and inspirational tough guy.

If something woke up on Thursday night against Seattle, it wasn’t Ferguson the playmaker, it was Ferguson the tough guy. It’s a personality trait the Cowboys have been missing in many ways, and something that could pay major dividends in the postseason.

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