Jake Ferguson injury opens door for out-the-box plan centered around under-the-radar UDFA

Hunter Luepke stands to gain the most in the absence of Cowboys starting TE Jake Ferguson. | From @ReidDHanson

Many feared the worst as tight end Jake Ferguson went down with an apparent knee injury in the third quarter on Sunday. Big things are expected of the third-year Cowboy, and the Dallas offense would have a tough time replacing the production planned from the young Pro Bowler.

Hunter Luekpe, a fullback by trade but Swiss army knife in application, has been named by Mike McCarthy as the man “at the front of the line.”

A bullet was seemingly dodged when Ian Rapoport reported it was not an ACL tear as originally feared but rather an MCL sprain that would likely require a more modest timetable.

Labeled “week to week,” speculation is Ferguson could be out anywhere from 2-6 weeks. One would assume by following next man up mentality Luke Schoonmaker would be the man tasked with picking up the slack. Schoonmaker was a second-round pick from 2023 who has considerable expectations in Year 2. Yet it’s actually an undrafted free agent from 2023 who the Cowboys appear to be turning to in the wake of the injury.

Luekpe was a key contributor in Sunday’s 33-17 win over the Browns and someone who can be deployed a variety of different ways.

Of Luepke’s 45 snaps in Week 1, only eight came out of the backfield acccording to PFF tracking. The bulk of his snaps on offense actually came as an inline TE.

His presence in the huddle offers the offense a decisive advantage over the defense. Since he can play both TE and FB, the Cowboys could be showing either 12 or 21 personnel any time he’s on the field. Where he lines up and where he motions will ultimately label his position, but he gives McCarthy the ability to move him wherever a mismatch can be found.

Luepke isn’t the player Ferguson is as a TE because he’s not really a TE, he’s something else entirely. As such the offense could change with him playing a more prominent role.

None of this means Brevyn Spann-Ford, John Stephens and Schoonmaker won’t get more opportunities because they probably will. It just appears the man to gain the most is the man listed as the FB on the Cowboys depth chart.

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