Jake Ferguson is entering his fifth NFL season as one of Dak Prescott’s trusted weapons. However, an anonymous NFL scout revealed one specific weakness in the Cowboys’ tight end’s gameplay. Jake Ferguson now has to clean up.

“He’s really solid all around, high catch volume, tough, competes in the run game,” the NFL scout recently told ESPN. “His problem is fumbling. We targeted trying to get the ball loose when we played him.” 

Though not very evident, Ferguson’s fumbles have become a pattern. He recorded seven over the last two years, with three coming last season. Along with Taysom Hill, Noah Fant, and AJ Barner, Ferguson’s fumble-haul tied for the most among tight ends in 2025. In 2024, he led the league in this stat for TEs.

Tight ends are primarily big and reliable safety blankets who can effortlessly move the chains and secure difficult catches in heavy traffic. They often have to catch the ball in the middle of the field while being exposed to multiple defenders who actively try to punch or rip out the ball. If a team cannot trust its tight end to protect the ball after the catch, it makes things tough to dial up possession downs or tight-window throws during high-stakes moments. 

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was also pretty vocal about the problem. Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins revealed that the head coach believed that Ferguson’s fumbles were “fundamental issues”. Schottenheimer believed that the tight end needs to “take care of the ball.”

One of Ferguson’s more troubling fumbles last season occurred in the Week 13 game against Detroit. On a third-and-twenty-one in the second quarter, Prescott, facing a four-man rush, threw towards the TE. Ferguson caught the ball, but was soon surrounded by the Lions’ defense. He had the ball in one hand before he went down, which was knocked out of his grasp by linebacker Jack Campbell.

Last season was a weird one for Ferguson. Even though his 82 receptions and eight touchdowns ranked fourth and fifth-highest, respectively, among tight ends, Ferguson finished 42nd in yards per catch (7.4). This is the lowest he has gone in this stat.

However, Ferguson is still a reliable tight end for the Cowboys. He is still a threat in the red zone, per A to Z’s Mauricio Rodriguez, as the TE caught seven of his eight touchdowns inside the 20-yard line. According to PFSN’s TE Impact Metric, he recorded a 74.9 impact score, the 19th best in the NFL. But his tendency to lose the ball makes things hard for the Cowboys. 

To permanently silence the critics, Ferguson needs to limit his turnovers. And to help him, Schottenheimer had a plan. 

How does Brian Schottenheimer plan to address Jake Ferguson’s issue?

“You’ll see a big emphasis on ball security for us,” the coach told CowboysWire during the team’s minicamp. “It disgusts me: minus-nine [the Cowboys’ 2025 turnover differential]. It’s awful.”

He emphasized that the team needs to protect the ball better. 

“We’re teaching guys not only how to protect the football—head, body, tail, clasp it in traffic—but getting the ball on the outside arm … versus the inside arm,” the coach continued. “When it’s in the outside arm, it’s nearer the sideline; it’s protected. If it’s an inside arm, it’s more vulnerable. So there’s things like that that we’re doing a deep dive into getting fixed.” 

The Cowboys clearly still view Ferguson as a significant part of the offense. Last year, he signed a four-year extension with Dallas for $52 million. But can he justify the contract in his 2026 campaign? That remains to be seen.