Cowboys TE depth chart: Tight ends at training camp

When the Cowboys’ previous No. 1 tight end Dalton Schultz moved on to the Houston Texans last year, it wasn’t clear if any of those behind him would step up as a big player. Those concerns were squashed pretty quickly, with new No. 1 Jake Ferguson emerging as Dak Prescott’s second-favorite target behind star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.

It’s pretty clear that Ferguson will continue to be the TE1 for the 2024 season, but let’s take a look at the tight end depth chart as the Cowboys get ready to head to Oxnard for training camp next week.

TE1: Jake Ferguson

Ferguson became the second receiver because of his proven consistency last year. In just his second season with Dallas, he caught 71 passes for 761 yards and five touchdowns. He’ll look to expand on that this coming season.

TE2: Luke Schoonmaker

The Cowboys took Schoonmaker in the second round of the 2023 Draft and his rookie season was underwhelming, catching eight passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, Schoonmaker was already dealing with a foot injury suffered in college before he even started with the Cowboys, and missed all of spring training. Then in early 2024, he had to have shoulder surgery. And now? Just about two months ago, Schoonmaker sprained his hamstring and had to sit out OTAs and mandatory minicamp, again. He’s expected to be fine for the start of training camp next week, but it’ll be hard to have a breakout year behind a guy like Ferguson.

TE3: Peyton Hendershot

With Schoonmaker’s injury woes over the last two offseasons, there’s a chance for Hendershot to step up as the TE2 instead. Behind the two last season, he actually saw a drop in production in his second year in Dallas. He went from 11 receptions and 16 targets for 103 yards and two touchdowns in 2022 to four receptions on seven targets for 38 yards and no touchdowns in 2023. Hendershot also had to miss minicamp due to a minor medical issue. He’ll have something to prove when the Cowboys head to training camp.

TE4: Brevyn Spann-Ford

Rookie Brevyn Spann-Ford comes out of Minnesota as an undrafted free agent and has a chance to earn a spot on the final Cowboys roster this season. He’s a huge guy, standing at 6′6″ and 260 pounds with superb blocking skills.

John Stephens Jr., Princeton Fans, Alec Holler

The three other tight ends on the roster are second-year John Stephens Jr., undrafted free agent Princeton Fant, and rookie Alec Holler. Stephens likely would have been the TE4 on this list if not for an ACL injury that sat him out for the whole 2023 season. He’s definitely one to watch at training camp as he could very well emerge as a critical player for Dallas.

Fant didn’t make it past the practice squad in 2023, so he’ll be hoping for a spot on the 53-man roster this season. As for the rookie, Holler, at 6.3″, 242 pounds, he’s a tough guy to tackle, but he’s got a lot of competition ahead of him.

The Cowboys only had three tight ends on the final 53-man roster last season, so there will be some moves to make at the tight end position after training camp this year.