The Dallas Cowboys have a good option right now at tight end with former Pro Bowler Jake Ferguson — good, but not great.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski predicts the Cowboys will go for an upgrade at the position in the 1st round of the 2027 NFL Draft, where his latest mock draft sees them take Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson at No. 17 overall — 1 of the picks obtained from the Green Bay Packers in the Micah Parsons trade.
Johnson is a prototype-style NFL tight end at 6-foot-5 and 257 pounds.
“The idea of adding an athlete of Jamari Johnson’s caliber to an already potent Dallas Cowboys offense is downright frightening,” Sobleski wrote on September 7. “Jake Ferguson is a steady and reliable target for quarterback Dak Prescott, but he doesn’t stress opposing defenses. Johnson can make life easier on all of Dallas’ skill position talent. Jamari Johnson is an instant mismatch tight end, because he brings the body type and athleticism required to be a three-down threat. His ball skills and route-running nuance should lead to a breakout season for the Oregon Ducks, where he’ll have a chance to outshine former teammate Kenyon Sadiq.”
Johnson Shined in 2025 Next to 1st-Round Pick
It speaks to how wired-in Oregon is to building its roster that they have just been replacing 1 future NFL tight end with another for the last few years.
Johnson played his 1st 2 seasons of college football at Louisville before transferring to Oregon before the 2025 season, where he had 32 receptions for 510 yards and 3 touchdowns as the backup to 2026 1st-round pick, Big Ten Tight End of the Year and All-American Kenyon Sadiq.
“Jamari Johnson is far and away my TE1 at this stage of the 2027 draft process,” Pro Football Network’s Jacob Infante wrote on his official X account on September 5. “Great athlete, impressive body control, elite receiving upside.”
Jake Ferguson Singled Out as ‘Liability’
ESPN’s annual list of the NFL’s Top 10 tight ends left Ferguson on the outside looking in, as voted on by the league’s executives, coaches, and scouts, and sent a clear message on how the rest of the league views the former Pro Bowler, who was placed among the honorable mentions.
“He’s really solid all around, high catch volume, tough, competes in the run game,” an anonymous NFL executive told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. “His problem is fumbling. We targeted trying to get the ball loose when we played him.”
While that’s harsh, it’s also true. Few players in the NFL cough the ball up like Ferguson has in recent years — 7 fumbles in the last 2 seasons after zero fumbles in his 1st 2 seasons.
“Jake Ferguson is officially a liability when it comes to fumbling,” Bloggin’ the Boys Brandon Loree wrote on his official X account toward the end of the 2025 regular season. “Doing it way too often.”
Cowboys Predicted to Draft 6-foot-5, 257-Pound ‘Mismatch’ TE in 1st Round