Who Should I Start? Jake Ferguson or Cade Stover

Friday, June 20, 3:19 PM

Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson recently divulged to Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the knee injury he sustained in Week 1 of 2024 was a season-long issue. However, he isn't using that as an excuse for his subpar campaign. "My knee hurt, for sure," said Ferguson. "The concussion was weird. But I've said this before: if I'm on the field, I should be able to give it my all." After a strong 2023 (71/761/5), the 26-year-old regressed last season -- failing to score a touchdown or top 500 yards in 14 appearances. He's an excellent bounce-back candidate ahead of 2025, with head coach Brian Schottenheimer noting, "the look in his eyes and the way his body looks...the way he's moving has been noticeably different in a good way." Ferguson will have the newly acquired George Pickens to contend with for targets this year, but the Cowboys' lack of appeal in their RB room could signal a third straight season with a top 12 passing rate in the league.

Tuesday, January 14, 4:42 PM

Houston Texans rookie tight end Cade Stover (collarbone) suffered a broken collarbone in the wild-card win over the Los Angeles Chargers last Saturday and will require season-ending surgery. The Texans officially placed Stover on Injured Reserve on Tuesday. The 24-year-old first-year player caught all four of his targets for 28 yards in the 32-12 win over the Bolts and played 36 offensive snaps. Stover was mostly a blocker for the Texans in his first year in the NFL and took a back seat pass-catching-wise to starter Dalton Schultz, as he had only 15 catches for 133 yards and one touchdown on 22 targets over 15 regular-season games. If Teagan Quitoriano (calf) isn't activated from IR to play this Saturday in the Divisional Round against the hosting Kansas City Chiefs, Irv Smith Jr. would operate as the primary backup to Schultz.