There is life after Dalton Schultz: Dallas Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson on record pace

Receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott are rightfully getting the bulk of the attention on the Dallas Cowboys offense for the hot streak they have been over the last four games.

Lamb has four recorded straight 100-yard receiving games dating back to Week 6. With 11 catches 151 yards and a touchdown in last week’s 49-17 win over the Giants on Sunday, he became the first player in league history with three straight games of at least 10 catches and 150 yards

Similarly, Prescott, who is playing as well as any quarterback in the NFL, has recorded a 100.0 passer rating in four consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL and he has passed for more than 300 yards in three straight games.

With 300 yards against the Carolina Panthers, Prescott would set a franchise record for the most consecutive 300-yard games (four).

Most importantly, their play has coincided with the breakout play of the Cowboys offense, which has sparked a 3-1 record during the past month.

However, the contributions of rising tight end Jason Ferguson should not be overlooked as he is on a hot streak and record pace, too.

Ferguson the team’s second-leading receiver with 36 catches and is tied for first in touchdown receptions with Lamb at four.

After four catches for 26 yards and a touchdown against the Giants, he has caught touchdown passes in three straight games.

The last Cowboys tight end with a touchdown catch in three consecutive games was Jason Witten (three) in 2011.

It’s just latest of example of the continued development of the second-year tight end, who was drafted in the fourth-round in 2022 out of Wisconsin and charged with replacing the departed Dalton Schultz as the starter in 2023.

Schultz had 198 catches and 17 touchdowns over the past three seasons in Dallas and was Prescott’s most reliable target.

After a few blips earlier in the season, Ferguson has earned Prescott’s trust.

“[Ferguson] is the lead dog in the (tight end position) room,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “I love his passion and aggression that he plays with. Dalton (Schultz) was an extremely productive player here the last two years, and now [Ferguson] being the guy in the room, to play that many reps is where he needs to continue to grow because there is a conditioning that goes with the physical, mental and emotional. I think he does a really good job, and I know Dak and him have a very strong connection.”

Offensive coordiantor Brian Schottenheimer said: “Fergie is playing at an elite level. You talk about a guy that plays the game the right way. I don’t know how much (stuff) he talks, but he definitely talks (stuff). He has fun. He is passionate about what he is doing. To see him from the start of the offseason to where he is now, I wouldn’t say surprises me, but he is playing at an elite level. I think he’s just scratching the surface.”

Ferguson needs a receiving touchdown on Sunday for his seventh career touchdown catch, which would tie Witten for the second-most in a Cowboys tight end’s first two seasons. Billy Joe Dupree had the most touchdown catches with nine in his first two seasons.

And with 55 career receptions, he needs four catches to pass DuPree (58) for the second-most receptions by a Cowboys tight end in the first two seasons with the club. Witten has the most by a Cowboys tight end in his first two seasons with 122 receptions from 2003-04.

Ferguson credits his development on staying in constant communication with Prescott through the good and the bad.

He made sure to text Prescott after the 42-10 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

“I texted him after the game and I’m like, ‘I’m with you til the wheels fall off,’” Ferguson said. “He’s in that leadership role, and it’s my job to follow him and run through a brick wall if he tells me to. It’s that kind of mindset going into this. It’s like, ‘Hey, I got your back, and you know it too.’ I’m just gonna do my best to keep getting open and keep getting work done, keep getting yards.”

The text conversations are serious business between Ferguson and Prescott but they start lightheartedly with TikTok videos of actor and comedian Lester Green, who goes by Beetlejuice.

“I send him funny videos every once in a while, we’ve got this guy (Beetlejuice) that we like watching, and I’ll send him a funny video and he’ll laugh,” Ferguson said. “Then, I’ll be like ‘Oh, yeah, on so and so, I might be open on this or whatever like that. It’s just the little things and I think that’s building to where we want to get to. It’s like, ‘I’m open but I don’t want to tell you I’m open.’ I like to warm him up and get him laughing a little bit and then I come in with my [recommendation].

“I’m not overly serious all the time. I like to have fun. At the same time, I know when it’s time to lock down and buckle down. Having that fine line is important.”

Just as his rising play has been to the Cowboys success over the last month.