Tag: John Stephens Jr

Cowboys lose up-and-coming weapon to another ACL injury

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 2nd-year tight end suffered the same injury to the same knee last preseason. He’s expected to undergo surgery and miss the rest of 2024.

Just as the Cowboys were starting to look like they were getting healthy coming off the bye week, a promising emerging talent has suffered a brutal setback to his young career.

Tight end John Stephens Jr. tore an ACL in Wednesday’s practice, according to a report from ESPN’s Todd Archer, who cited sources.

The 25-year-old joined the club as an undrafted free agent last spring. A wide receiver at both TCU and Louisiana, the 6-foot-5-inch Stephens was converted to tight end during his rookie training camp with the Cowboys.

While the team had high hopes for Stephens, his first pro campaign was lost to an ACL injury in the second game of the 2023 preseason.

This latest injury is to the same knee; Stephens is expected to undergo surgery and be placed once again on season-ending IR.

Stephens had not been active for a game yet in 2024, but the team had positive reviews for him and his development.

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Jake Ferguson remains the starter at the position in Dallas. Behind him are Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford. Princeton Fant occupies a spot on the practice squad.

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Follow the Money: Breakdown of Cowboys TE salaries, cap hits

A breakdown of the cap spending at the tight end position and how Dallas has set themselves up to keep costs low with solid production. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Imagine a scenario where a young, bonafide starter who just made his first Pro Bowl leads a position group of other young talented players, all threats to make the team. Now imagine the entire collection doesn’t take up much salary cap space.

The tight end room in Dallas has a long list of potential contributors and might be the closest to fitting this description. The Cowboys have done the ground work, laying the platform for this to come to fruition. Now the players not named Jake Ferguson have to come through on the promise.

When churning the bottom of the roster, a player’s salary often contributes to his fate but the money aspect probably won’t be coming into play for these guys. With very little capital spent, this is where Dallas has managed to save a few dollars without sacrificing much.

Cowboys lose 2 rising stars for ’23 season to ACL tears

From ToddBrock24f7: LB DeMarvion Overshown and TE John Stephens Jr. will see their rookie seasons end with ACL tears suffered on the turf in Seattle.

When it rains, it pours. Especially in Seattle.

The Cowboys fell in their second preseason game to the Seahawks by a 22-14 score, but their personnel losses are far more devastating, with much longer repercussions.

Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and tight end John Stephens Jr., both rookies who had turned in very impressive training camp performances, suffered torn ACLs at Lumen Field on Saturday night.

Both rookies underwent MRIs on Sunday upon returning to the Metroplex; both are now lost for the entire 2023 season.

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John Stephens Jr mounting a charge for Cowboys’ final TE roster spot

Rookie UDFA John Stephens Jr has been impressing in training camp and then performed on the big stage as a preseason player to watch. | From @ReidDHanson

When the Cowboys signed big-bodied receiver John Stephens, Jr. as an undrafted free agent in early May, very little was made of it. The 6-foot-4, 232 pound out of the University of Louisiana Lafayette was an afterthought to most, even by UDFA standards. His college career was modest, but his skillset wasn’t without highlights.

Stephens has been one of the bigger rookie standouts of the summer and he’s doing it at a position that is generally unsettled. While Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker are virtual locks to make the roster, things are up in the air behind them. Stephens progress throughout camp showed up in the team’s opening exhibition, where he led the club in all receiving categories.

Stephen had five catches on seven targets, totaling 56 yards and scoring Dallas’ final touchdown in a 28-23 loss.

The main issue holding him back was his speed severely limited what he could do at the WR position. The Cowboys certainly saw the problem Stephens would face in the NFL, so they changed the equation. If a 4.67 40-time was too slow for a WR, why not make the 23-year-old a TE?

 

That’s exactly what Stephens was preparing for prior to the draft so his transition was a smooth one. Halfway in, the newly minted TE has been impressive in camp.

 

Yes, second year player Peyton Hendershot has the inside track to get the third roster spot as a pass-catching specialist and Sean McKeon looks like the favorite to stay on as a blocking specialist if the Cowboys keep four. But the margin between TE3 and TE5 seems fairly thin and based on reports out of camp, Stephens has been a standout in the red zone throughout camp and it showed up in the game as well.

Stephens could realistically bump one of the two if he proves to be an efficient weapon in high leverage situations like the redz one.

Since there are similarities between Stephens and Hendershot’s game, it’s those two who are competing most. The Cowboys are likely a little apprehensive to keep two unproven blockers as reserves and they think rather highly of McKeon and what he brings to the running game.

If Stephens continues to stand out in camp and can become a trustworthy target for Dak Prescott and the passing attack, he has a real shot at making the team. If not, he’s an exciting developmental prospect to groom on the practice squad.

Stephens is definitely a player to watch this preseason.

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