The 2026 NFL Draft is within the books, and the Dallas Cowboys clearly understood the task of utterly overhauling a traditionally unhealthy protection from a 12 months in the past as the principle goal of this draft. The Cowboys truly made just one decide that initially belonged to them, and it went to a well-recognized place with Penn State offensive lineman Drew Shelton within the fourth spherical. Each different decide besides their lone seventh-rounder after was used to refill the depth chart within the picture of recent defensive coordinator Christian Parker, who obtained just about all he might ask for. The Cowboys discovered defensive worth all through the draft regardless of not selecting within the second, fifth, or sixth spherical.
Caleb Downs is their most prized possession of the 5 new rookie defenders, and the best way he fills a number of wants together with his flexibility makes it nothing in need of a grand slam house run decide. We’ve already lined how groups with extra urgent wants on offense instructed the primary spherical story of how the Cowboys let the board come to them and keep locked in on drafting for protection, however this theme continued all through day three, most notably at one place in a record-breaking method.
Document variety of tight ends taken
Because the begin of the seven-round draft in 1994, the file for many tight ends drafted in a single 12 months was 19 in 2015. The 2026 class had 21 tight ends drafted.
In spherical three, tight ends Sam Roush, Oscar Delp, and Will Kacmarek have been all drafted earlier than the Cowboys landed one other defender that helps the depth chart at multiple place with Jaishawn Barham. There have been additionally eight broad receivers drafted between picks 65 and Barham at 92, one other place we all know the Cowboys are making a giant guess on what they have already got in place, primarily George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.
North Dakota State broad receiver Bryce Lance went to the Saints at decide 136, one decide forward of the place the Cowboys landed LT Overton, the hand-in-the-ground defensive finish they wanted, in addition to depth behind Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams at defensive sort out of their new base 3-4 entrance. The worth the Cowboys obtained of their defensive picks by not having to press for wants on offense was off the charts.
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Heavy utilization of a number of tight finish units was a robust development by final season, one which carried over into the playoffs with three NFC West groups making the sphere, a division recognized for this kind of offensive strategy. The Bears being on this NFC discipline with Ben Johnson in his first season calling that offense helped as nicely, and within the AFC the convention champion Patriots after all relied so much on Hunter Henry as a receiving possibility to assist out an in any other case weaker group of cross catchers out broad.
Trendy NFL offenses going to extra 12 and 13 personnel is a direct response to trendy defenses residing in two excessive security seems to discourage huge performs excessive from receivers. The 2026 draft made a press release that getting groups out of two excessive shell is a must have capability for a few of the finest play callers, and having succesful tight ends is an efficient method to do that, judging by the best way they have been flying off the board.
The Jaguars, who had their very own record-breaking season below first 12 months offensive-minded head coach Liam Cohn in 2025, drafted two tight ends with Nate Boerkircher and Tanner Koziol. So too did a crew at all times recognized for hanging their hat on bodily play, the Denver Broncos, drafting Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley on the place. The Browns below new head coach Todd Monken obtained a pair of tight ends in Joe Royer and Carsen Ryan, as did their division rival the Baltimore Ravens in Josh Cuevas and Matthew Hibner. Amazingly, a fifth crew additionally took a number of tight ends, the rebuilding Miami Dolphins, seeking to assist long-time backup quarterback and now starter Malik Willis with Will Kacmarek and Seydou Traore. The best drafted tight finish went to the Jets with a brand new play-caller in Frank Reich, tasked with the unenviable job of attempting to get higher play out of Geno Smith. They gave Smith a dependable goal at TE in Kenyon Sadiq within the first spherical to assist this trigger.
In his first 12 months as head coach and play-caller for the Cowboys, Brian Schottenheimer’s offense confirmed all of the glimpses of being inbuilt the identical mildew as those talked about above, primarily of their capability to be a number of and dictate matchups. Tight ends with versatility go a really great distance in serving to an offense obtain this too. Jake Ferguson’s targets skyrocketed from 86 in 14 video games in 2024 to 102 in a full season in 2025. His yards per sport stayed precisely the identical although at 35.3, and he ended the season with 4 straight video games of three or fewer catches. After catching six touchdowns within the first seven weeks of the 12 months, Ferguson had simply two within the remaining ten video games of the season.
Whether or not or not Ferguson may very well be a dependable, constant big-play risk in Schotty’s offense was a subject of a lot dialogue all final offseason. The attention check from an everyday season confirmed over the course of the season that Ferguson was nonetheless lacking that consistency and big-play pop. By not discovering a approach to get in on the tight finish draft occasion this 12 months, it’ll be yet one more spring and summer time season the place all the very same questions might be requested about Ferguson from now till kickoff in September.
The Cowboys have maintained their depth behind Ferguson to have viable 12 and 13 personnel seems nicely, with Luke Schoonmaker nonetheless on the roster in addition to Brevyn Spann-Ford. Spann-Ford was banged up by a lot of the season, however is a fan-favorite kind participant in his area of interest function, and precisely the kind of participant the Cowboys might want to assist add new wrinkles to the offense. Princeton Fant is a participant in considerably of the same mildew, though he’ll go into 12 months 4 having performed simply 14 profession snaps on offense, all of which got here earlier than Schottenheimer was the play caller in 2024.
Not permitting defenses to remove the vertical capability of Lamb and Pickens is totally one thing the Cowboys needs to be seeking to do plenty of in 2026, but additionally profiting from the eye each receivers draw so as to be schemed in opposition to is one thing they will do in a wide range of methods. Whether or not that is working the ball in opposition to two excessive seems, getting Jaydon Blue concerned within the passing sport out of the backfield extra, or releasing up Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin in the midst of the sphere, the Cowboys did about in addition to they probably might to enter this draft with sufficient belief of their offense to do what needed to be performed on protection.
Not lacking the occasion totally
Dallas additionally added one other native prospect at tight finish in brief order, Baylor’s Michael Trigg. Trigg was a “pet cat” of followers clamoring for the Cowboys to make use of a day three decide on him, which didn’t work out, however the truth no different crew drafted him both and Dallas might get him in free company is a shock. Considered one of our mock drafts revealed simply over every week earlier than the beginning of the draft had Trigg because the Cowboys decide at 112, noting that Cowboys TE coach Lunda Wells was at his Professional Day.
With essentially the most tight ends drafted this 12 months, there’s no telling what number of are going to work out and what number of might fade into obscurity. This makes the possibility the Cowboys are taking in the intervening time on Rogers and Trigg simply pretty much as good as a few of the different late-round dart throws different groups determined to take.
Whether or not or not both participant will make the ultimate roster is a really great distance from being determined, but when we actually do see an explosion of tight finish utilization across the NFL much more than final season forward of us in 2026, it’s going to be very fascinating seeing how or if the Cowboys can sustain, or whether or not or not it can even matter if their broad receiver room makes the affect it’s being anticipated to.
