6 days ago
Double-ACL injury or not, this Cowboy is sleeper at the TE position for 2025
The Dallas Cowboys are pretty set at the tight end position in 2025. Their top three spots are essentially written in ink with Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford all but certain to claim active spots on the final 53-man roster.
There's a temptation to name Spann-Ford the sleeper of the TE room, but his buzz has been so active, and the hype has been so prevalent, he's become the furthest thing from a sleeper. Spann-Ford is expected to earn similar snaps to Schoonmaker and there's hope he'll eventually compete for TE1 someday in the not-too-distant future. He's too good of a prospect and too forefront on the minds of Cowboys Nation to be a sleeper.
No, the sleeper is a player Cowboys fans know but might have forgotten. He's a player who's flashed playmaking ability in the past but injuries and circumstances have always gotten in the way of opportunity. He's a player, who even now, could shine in training camp and force the Cowboys to go four-deep at the TE position in 2025. It's John Stephens, Jr.
At 6-foot-5, 221-pounds, Stephens is the leanest TE on the Dallas roster. A converted receiver, Stephens displays pass catching ability the others do not on this roster. It's those plays downfield that's allowed the 25-year-old to stand out in previous training camps and it's what earned him a place on the team just one season ago.
Unfortunately for Stephens, his 2024 season came to an abrupt end after he suffered a torn ACL in practice late October. It's the same knee and same injury as a year before and may even delay the start to his 2025 campaign as a result. If anyone has earned sleeper status, it's Stephens.
Fellow TE Princton Fant has the inside track on TE4 if such a roster spot is made. And new undrafted rookie free agents Rivaldo Fairweather and Tyler Neville have the years of controllability working in their favor. But it's Stephens who makes the plays downfield others don't. It's Stephens who already has a relationship with Dak Prescott and it's Stephens who Brian Schottenheimer is most familiar.
Stephens may never be a do-everything every down TE but he's a situational weapon who's able to shine downfield as a pass catcher. If he can get a clean bill of health and be a full participant in training camp, he's the sleeper to watch from the TE position in 2025
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