Don’t forget about Jake Ferguson.

One of many extra outstanding debates among the many Cowboys group heading into the 2023 NFL Draft is whether or not or not Dallas needs to be prioritizing the tight finish place. If Dallas does take a TE early subsequent week, that will doubtless imply not giving Jake Ferguson a shot because the beginning job subsequent season. The talk facilities round Ferguson’s potential; does he deserve a chance to show himself earlier than one other main TE asset is added?

The professional-Ferguson camp is worked up in regards to the athleticism and playmaking flashed throughout his rookie season. After three years of Dalton Schultz, a fourth-round choose in 2018, being a extremely productive starter, why couldn’t the 2022 fourth-rounder Ferguson step up and do the identical? It virtually feels round; a lovely narrative for a roster transition.

The opposite camp isn’t essentially anti-Ferguson, however they see a bevy of TE expertise doubtlessly obtainable all through Day 1 and Day 2 of this 12 months’s draft. If the Cowboys might add a Dalton Kincaid or Michael Mayer within the first spherical, or possibly a Darnell Washington or Sam LaPorta within the second, it will be an on-paper improve from present and former choices.

It’s a tricky debate as a result of neither aspect is mistaken. Solely hindsight will show if Ferguson is a worthy starter. Or if Dallas did draft a TE excessive subsequent week, it will once more require time to see how smart that call was.

However hindsight does play one other position on this dialogue. If the Cowboys do suppose they’ve one thing in Ferguson, including one other massive expertise within the draft might stunt his development. We all know this as a result of it occurred for over 15 years due to Jason Witten.

A deserving future Corridor of Famer. Witten had the TE place in a stranglehold for his future in Dallas. The Cowboys spent second-round picks on longtime NFL starters like Anthony Fasano and Martellus Bennett by way of these years and none of them might get sufficient gentle in Witten’s shadow. Even in his twilight years, Witten’s presence stymied the potential of Schultz and Blake Jarwin.

Now we’re not saying {that a} Kindcaid or Mayer would waltz in as the following Jason Witten. However spending a first-round choose at nearly any place often ensures a beginning position, particularly when there’s no incumbent or clear inheritor to the place at present on the roster.

Ferguson’s flashes aren’t sufficient to say he’s the clear subsequent man up at TE. But when the Cowboys do draft one excessive this 12 months, it might shortly cap no matter potential he may need in Dallas.

Once more, we will’t predict the long run. Ferguson won’t show to be something greater than one other Geoff Swaim, James Hanna, or John Phillips; Day 3 picks who often seemed intriguing however have been by no means greater than backups. However even with them, it’s important to surprise how a lot Witten’s presence contributed to their lack of development.

Some have additionally argued that given how two of Dallas’ biggest tight ends in historical past, Witten and Jay Novacek, have been solely third and sixth-round themselves, there’s no have to draft one excessive. Even within the 2003 and 1985 NFL Drafts, there have been nonetheless TEs going within the first spherical; many have been drafted earlier than Witten or Novacek got here off their boards.

This logic does current a sure fallacy; the chances of discovering stars later within the draft are clearly a lot, a lot decrease. A staff isn’t going to completely look within the sixth spherical for his or her subsequent franchise QB simply because that’s the place New England discovered Tom Brady.

However on the opposite aspect of that coin, some groups do are inclined to do higher with mining gems in center and later rounds than others. Generally that is more true at sure positions, like when the Broncos appeared to maintain making Professional Bowl working backs out of late-round and undrafted prospects.

Possibly the Cowboys do have a knack for locating star tight ends later within the draft. In that case, Jake Ferguson might very properly be the following one. But when Dallas drafts one other TE subsequent Thursday and even Friday night time, we would by no means discover out. And as an alternative of constructing the staff stronger, they may overload at one place as an alternative of including a wanted asset some other place.