FRISCO, Texas -- Through the first five games of any season in NFL history, no tight end has had more than the 41 receptions Jake Ferguson has for the Dallas Cowboys.
Two others had 41: Eric Johnson with the San Francisco 49ers in 2004 and Zach Ertz with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2018.
Ferguson has had at least five catches in each of the first five games. The only other tight end to do that in Cowboys history is Jason Witten, a first-time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, who did so in 2008.
Only Los Angeles Rams receiver Puka Nacua has more receptions in the league (52) this season.
"I'm not satisfied," Ferguson said.
Ferguson signed a four-year extension worth $52 million during training camp, tying him to the organization through 2029 and perhaps for the rest of 32-year-old Dak Prescott's career.
Since Prescott took over as the Cowboys' starting quarterback in 2016, Cowboys tight ends have caught at least 60 passes seven times in the nine seasons he has played the majority of the games.
He learned quickly how friendly a tight end can be for a quarterback.
"Obviously when I showed up here and Jason Witten is the tight end in the room, when playcalls are named after him, when the option concept is the first route in the book, that's taught by Jason Witten, you understand how valuable a good tight end can be that knows his responsibility," Prescott said. "And I think that's a big part of Jake's success is that he knows his responsibility, he knows where he needs to be, why he needs to do it. We're on the same page and we're always communicating.
"There's zones and there's tough windows that we're trying to get the ball into that if we're not on the same page, then you don't feel comfortable throwing it. But I do when you have a guy like that."
When Ferguson watched the Cowboys before he was selected in the fourth round in 2022, he saw how Prescott relied on Witten and Dalton Schultz. In three seasons with Prescott, Witten had 1,752 yards and 11 touchdowns. In five seasons with Prescott, Schultz had 1,685 yards and 15 touchdowns, including career highs in catches (78), yards (808) and touchdowns (eight) in 2021.
Ferguson had 71 catches for 761 yards and five touchdowns in 2023.
"It's the details in the routes," Ferguson said. "You hear other tight ends talk and they're just not as detailed. That a lot of times is coming from Dak saying, 'Hey, this is the detail I'm looking for.' And those little details matter when the ball is getting thrown his way."
Prescott's precision requirements can be as focused as being a yard outside the hashmark on a certain route and "if you're tighter," Ferguson said, "you're bad."
"Ever since I've been here, if something goes wrong, I go back and I'm talking to him and trying to pick his brain, 'Hey, what do I need to do?' or 'What were you thinking?'" Ferguson said. "That level of communication is huge."
Among Ferguson's simpler goals in 2025 was to get in the end zone after not scoring a touchdown in 2024. (Although Prescott missed nine starts with a hamstring avulsion, and Ferguson missed one game when Prescott was healthy with a knee injury.)
When he scored two weeks ago against the Green Bay Packers, he had a celebration planned but forgot to do it since he was just happy to score. Last week against the New York Jets, he had the first multi-touchdown regular-season game of his career.
Ferg's second of the half 🙌
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) October 5, 2025
📺: #DALvsNYJ on FOX
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/RmDxAeCG4M pic.twitter.com/C3aTkfy0H0
But it was the touchdown pass that was missed that Ferguson, Prescott and coach Brian Schottenheimer were able to joke about on the plane ride home.
On the Cowboys' first drive, Prescott missed Ferguson down the seam by a step, and the Cowboys had to settle for a field goal.
"We just were challenging his speed," Schottenheimer said. "He said, 'I was just peeking. I was looking quick.' But he's a joy to coach, man. Dak loves him, trusts him."
One of the touchdowns against the Jets was a 26-yard screen pass, which was the longest scoring pass of Ferguson's career. But Ferguson's yard-per-catch average is 6.6 through five games this year. He averaged 9.6 yards per catch in his first three seasons.
In his first three years, Ferguson had 15 catches of 20 yards or more. He has one so far this season (the first score on Sunday). But Prescott puts that on how defenses are attacking the Cowboys' passing game.
"I think it's completions. I'm sure some of the checkdowns are going to skew his numbers at that, so, yeah, just the way that we're being played," Prescott said. "I know everybody wants to see the seam ball to Ferg. It's going to come in the right defense, in the right time, when they give us that look and that playcall happens."
Ferguson is also being asked to protect a tad more with a chip on an edge rusher, like two weeks ago against Micah Parsons and the Packers.
"That's just what I have to do. That's my job," Ferguson said. "But I'm never complaining about the ball coming to me."
At his current pace for receptions (139), Ferguson would smash Zach Ertz's single-season NFL record for a tight end (116 in 2018) and top the Cowboys' mark set by receiver CeeDee Lamb (135, 2023).
"I'm just trying to be me," Ferguson said, "but at the same time in our [tight end] room, our motto is, 'Do it better than it's ever been done before.' That's just what we're trying to do, play to our standard and at the same time try to play above the standard as well."