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Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys' Jake Ferguson Dealt Reality Check In Tight End Rankings
Cowboys' Jake Ferguson Dealt Reality Check In Tight End Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There were a host of reasons why Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson never got near his Pro Bowl production of 2023 last season. Advertisement A knee injury in Week 1, coupled with a concussion, saw Ferguson in and out of the starting lineup, which hindered his chances of gaining continuity. Oh, and his quarterback, Dak Prescott, was ruled out for the year after Week 9. So there were a lot of factors to the "big biscuit's" regression last year, and in Pro Football Focus' latest tight end rankings, Ferguson comes in at No. 17. "Ferguson looked like a tight end on the cusp of cracking the top 10 a year ago before the Cowboys' struggles and injuries caused the decline in production and grading for the third-year Wisconsin Badger," Pro Football Focus writes. "While Ferguson should enjoy a bounce-back 2025 campaign, his 56.6 PFF receiving grade and four fumbles in 2024 are worrisome for his outlook." Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) falls over Cleveland Browns linebacker Jordan Hicks (58)Scott Galvin-Imagn Images PFF is right. After the 2023 season, Ferguson was expected to be a top tight end in football, but as we know, several factors contributed to his poor 2024 output. Advertisement Jake finished 20th in yards (494) and 12th in receptions (59), but perhaps the biggest tarnish on his year was zero touchdowns from 14 games. Yuck. Now, in a contract year, he needs to rediscover his 2023 form quickly, as we know the Cowboys aren't exactly fans of paying tight ends lately (ask Dalton Schultz). Therefore, Jake has a lot to prove in 2025 to earn an extension. And ranking 17th among his fellow tight ends might be the little piece of motivation he needs to get back to being Prescott's ultimate security blanket. Related: Cowboys Offer One-Word George Pickens Scouting Report From OTAs Related: Cowboys Ex Amari Cooper Might Be 'Done' Barring Major Training Camp Change This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Former Wisconsin Badger receives middling grade in PFF's 2025 NFL tight end ranking
Former Wisconsin Badger receives middling grade in PFF's 2025 NFL tight end ranking Former Wisconsin Badger and current Dallas Cowboy Jake Ferguson landed at No. 17 in ProFootballFocus' recent list of the NFL's top tight ends entering 2025. Ferguson, whose 145 career receptions rank second all-time among Badger tight ends, earned a Pro Bowl appearance in 2023. In three seasons with Dallas, Ferguson has reeled in 149 receptions for 1,429 yards and seven touchdowns. Sandwiched between New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry (No. 16) and Green Bay Packers pass-catcher Tucker Craft (No. 18), Ferguson dropped five spots from last year's preseason ranking. The Rapid City, Wisconsin, native did miss three games in 2024, starting in all 14 of his appearances. In those 14 contests, the Wisconsin product snagged 59 receptions for 494 yards as Dallas' No. 2 passing option behind superstar CeeDee Lamb. That output followed a career-best 71-reception, 761-yard, five-touchdown performance in 2023, the year he made the Pro Bowl. While Ferguson's productivity certainly declined, he remains a staple asset in the Cowboys' offensive system. Here's PFF's take: "Ferguson looked like a tight end on the cusp of cracking the top 10 a year ago before the Cowboys' struggles and injuries caused the decline in production and grading for the third-year Wisconsin Badger. While Ferguson should enjoy a bounce-back 2025 campaign, his 56.6 PFF receiving grade and four fumbles in 2024 are worrisome for his outlook." With the Badgers, Ferguson snared a pass in every game he suited up in and set the school record for most consecutive games with a reception with 47. His 1,618 career receiving yards also land at No. 3 all-time among tight ends to play for Wisconsin. Ferguson will begin his search for a bounce-back season on Sept. 4 when the Cowboys open their season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Illinois Defense Preview 2025: The Fighting Illini D Will Be One of the Big Ten's Best
The defense finished 14th in the Big Ten, was miserable at generating third down stops, and didn't do much at coming up with any tackles for loss. But outside of a few weird performances - like, allowing 49 points to Purdue, 31 to Rutgers, and 28 to Northwestern, all wins - it found ways to bend hard without a ton of breaking. 2025 Illinois Preview Illinois Offense BreakdownSeason Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season- The secondary is loaded. Almost all of the stars are back, starting with All-Big Ten safety Xavier Scott and fourth-leading tackler Miles Scott. These two are all over the field - Scott is one of the conference's best ball-hawkers - and junior Matthew Bailey is getting to everything else. The team's leading tackler with 94 stops and seven broken up passes, Bailey is about to get a whole lot more corners aren't as strong as the safeties, but they're good. Kaleb Patterson, Jameim Clarke, and Torrie Cox Jr. weren't always air-tight, but they're veterans who know what they're doing. - The linebackers will push the safeties for the star power. Gabe Jacas is a game-wrecking pass rusher, earning All-Big Ten honors, making 74 tackles, eight sacks, and 13 tackles for loss. Fifth-year senior Leon Lowery comes in from Wisconsin - he was great at Syracuse for two years before going to Madison - to work on the other side. Dylan Rosiek eats up tackles in the middle, but he got knocked out with a broken leg. He's expected to be back and fine, and Kenenna Odeluga should step up after getting his feet wet last year. They'll do the dirty work to let the outside guys shine. - The Illini might be loaded with experience across the board, but the defensive front will be all about the transfer portal. Former Wisconsin Badger James Thompson was one of the biggest and best gets in the portal - more on him in a bit - and Tomiwa Durojaiye has a world of upside, but without a ton of stats at West Virginia and then Florida State. 6-0, 300-pound Curt Neal (Wisconsin) is a bowling ball who can hold up on the nose. Season Prediction, Win Total, Keys to Season2025 Illinois PreviewIllinois Offense Breakdown © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
USA Today
19-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
PFF names third-year defender most underrated Steeler ahead of 2025 season
PFF names third-year defender most underrated Steeler ahead of 2025 season T.J. Watt must be proud — as his protege and fellow Wisconsin Badger Nick Herbig was just named the most underrated Steeler by Pro Football Focus. PFF highlighted that while Herbig gets far less opportunity to rush the passer than Watt, he makes the most of what he's given — as evident in Week 8 last season against the Chargers, when Herbig recorded two sacks and a forced fumble on just eight pass-rush snaps. Here is how Pro Football Focus' Jonathon Macri defended Herbig's selection as the most underrated Steelers player ahead of the 2025 season: "Since 2022, Herbig owns a 91.4 PFF pass-rush grade, which ranks seventh among all edge defenders with at least 250 pass-rush snaps. With Watt and Highsmith occasionally missing time due to injury, having a high-end pass rusher like Herbig waiting in the wings is a very underrated and valuable option that not many teams have the luxury of." At best, Herbig will serve as the Steelers' saving grace if they fail to extend Watt beyond the 2025 season — and at worst, he's one of the league's best backup edge defenders.
Miami Herald
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
UConn Football Preview 2025: Are the Huskies Actually Good Now?
What exactly was that?UConn wasn't just 9-4 good, it was lose-at-Duke-by-just-five-points good. It was lose-to-Wake Forest-by-three-points good. It was push-Syracuse-on-the-road-in-a-31-24-loss the most part, over the last decade-plus, this is a program that only won against the tired, the poor, and the huddled masses yearning to fill out a schedule. But in the third year under Jim Mora, UConn came up with its first winning season since 2010, back when it was in the (sky point) Big East. It wasn't like UConn faced Ohio State and Georgia. Still, after getting obliterated by Maryland in the opener, it put together one of the strongest and most competitive seasons in school special teams were great, the offense scored when it had the chance, the defense was fantastic on third downs, and there weren't a ton of penalties. When you don't have elite talent, doing just about everything right is a year's team should be good enough to do it all again. UConn Huskies Preview 2025: Offense X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- The offense worked. The 415 points were the most ever put up by a UConn attack since the program moved up to the FBS. There weren't too many empty trips in the red zone, the running game was great, and the line was among the best in the nation at keeping defenses out of the be a good line again, but it could take a little bit to put it all together around center Wes Hoeh, the lone returning starter. There's depth, though, with players like Carsten Casady able to move around where needed inside. Getting Ty Chan (Notre Dame) at left tackle was one of the better under-the-radar pickups in the portal. - The backs are there to keep the production going. This wasn't a dominant running team, but it averaged over five yards per carry, helped by the 830 yards and eight scores from Cam Edwards. Mel Brown added 673 yards, and even though second-leading rusher Durell Robinson left for Auburn, picking up MJ Flowers from Eastern Illinois will boost the depth.- Joe Fagnano pulled off a stunning season with 20 touchdown passes and four picks, and former Oklahoma super-recruit Nick Evers got in plenty of work and added more of a rushing threat.- Former Wisconsin Badger Skyler Bell turned into UConn's most dangerous receiver, averaging over 17 yards per catch with five Burton (Auburn) is coming in to be an instant starter on the inside, and Chris Parker (Central Michigan) will take over on the outside. Louis Hansen is a veteran tight end who caught 24 passes with four scores. UConn Huskies Preview 2025: Defense - The UConn defense is building back up through the transfer portal. The front is getting the most help with a total Wright (Texas Southern), Ben Smiley (Virginia), and Trent Jones (Iowa State) come in to take over on the ends, and 290-pound Vincent Carroll-Jackson (Nebraska) needs to gum up the inside. - The stars are gone from the linebacking corps. Donovan Branch is the lone holdover coming off a 24-tackle season. Kansas State's Terry Kirksey has to be a pass rusher at one outside spot, and Tyquan King (Temple) and Bryun Parham (Washington) will be statistical stars on the inside.- Cam Chadwick is a good young corner who held his own as a freshman, and Sammy Anderson (Austin Peay) is a veteran who'll fit right in. Veteran safeties Malachi Mclean and D'Mon Brinson should combine for over 100 tackles, but Penn State transfer Tyrece Mills could be the best of the bunch. UConn Huskies Key to the Season Keep the good passing teams from going UConn offense will be terrific, but it's not built to crank it up in the shootouts. The Huskies faced four Power Four programs in the regular season, and those were the four losses. And why?Besides being Power Four programs, all four threw for more than 265 yards. UConn was 8-0 - including in the bowl win over a depleted North Carolina - when allowing fewer. UConn Huskies Key Player Stephon Wright, EDGE Huskies will turn everyone loose to get into the backfield, but they're missing almost all of the main pass rushers who made the defense so strong. That's where Wright needs to help. He's not a true edge rusher, but the 280-pounder from Austin Peay has to apply the pressure. UConn Huskies Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss Top Transfer In: Tyquan King, LB might be former Washington linebacker Bryun Parham if he gets back to the form he showed at San Jose State in 2022 and 2023. King started out at East Carolina, moved to Temple, and last year was a machine, making 112 tackles with three tackles and six tackles for Transfer Out: Pryce Yates, EDGE three-year producer for the Huskies left after making 108 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 30 tackles for loss as the star of the defensive front. He'll be working in Bill Belichick's rotation at North Carolina. UConn Huskies Key Game at Syracuse, Sept. 6Let's think super-big here. UConn didn't lose last season to any non-Power Four program, and it might be favored against all of the Group of Five types this year. Pull off a win at Boston College, get by Duke at home, win at Syracuse in early September, and maybe the College Football Play… nah, but at least the Huskies could get into the discussion if they get by the Orange.- 2025 UConn Huskies Schedule Breakdown UConn Huskies Top 10 Players 1. Tyquan King, LB Sr.2. Joe Fagnano, QB Sr.3. Cam Edwards, RB Jr.4. Bryun Parham, LB Sr.5. Ty Chan, OT Jr.6. Chris Parker, WR Sr.7. Wes Hoeh, C Sr.8. D'Mon Brinson, S Sr.9. Mel Brown, RB Sr.10. Chris Freeman, PK Sr. UConn Huskies 2024 Fun Stats - Red Zone Scores: UConn 41-of-44, Opponents 36-of-43- Penalties: Opponents 99 for 835 yards, UConn 69 for 685 yards- 3rd Quarter Scoring: UConn 99, Opponents 42 UConn Huskies 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen Can the Huskies have the same confidence and efficiency as last year? That's asking a lot considering how they managed to find ways to play up or down to their will be a misfire somewhere - Air Force will be a tough out, and going to Buffalo could be sneaky-nasty. On the plus side, there are only three games against Power Four teams; last year there were four. The schedule is, for the most part, the same in terms of degree of difficulty. The games against Group of Five programs are all winnable, the dates with the ACC programs should be good fights, and it'll all culminate with a third bowl appearance in four seasons under Jim The UConn Huskies Win Total At … 8Likely Wins: Ball State, Central Connecticut State, FIU, UAB50/50 Games: Air Force, at Buffalo, at Delaware, Duke, at Florida Atlantic, at RiceLikely Losses: at Boston College, at Syracuse © 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
