The Dallas Cowboys have an elite tight end in Jake Ferguson and are paying him like it, handing the veteran a 4-year, $50 million contract extension before the 2025 season.
Behind Ferguson, though, there’s some uncertainty at the position — something that ESPN’s Matt Miller predicts the Cowboys will address in the 2026 NFL draft when they select 6-foot-3, 245-pound Alabama tight end Josh Cuevas in the 5th round (No. 152 overall).
Cuevas could be the type of player who plays multiple positions and serves as a backup not just to Ferguson but also to fullback Hunter Luepke when needed.
“Cuevas’ lack of ideal measurables could push some evaluators to slap him with a fullback label, but ‘combo tight end’ fits best,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “He attacks blocking assignments with better toughness and technique than most in the class. He squares blocks and strains to sustain whether in-line, from the slot or as a lead blocker. Cuevas pairs burst/route knowledge to compete against man coverage over the first two levels, and is a reliable target in traffic. He’s a well-rounded talent with the demeanor to become a productive pro.”
At the NFL scouting combine, Cuevas did nothing but help his draft stock by running the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds.
Alabama 3rd College Stop for Josh Cuevas
The Crimson Tide were the 3rd college team for Cuevas, a Los Angeles native who played his 1st 2 seasons as a walk-on at Cal Poly before spending 1 season at Washington in 2023, before playing for Alabama the last 2 seasons.
In his final 4 college seasons, Cuevas had 115 receptions for 1,471 yards and 12 touchdowns, including 37 receptions for 411 yards and 4 touchdowns in 2025.
“Josh Cuevas offers multi-positional versatility at the tight end position to play in the slot, out wide, and at H-back for an offense,” Bleacher Report’s Daniel Harms wrote. “He’s been a do-it-all player for the Crimson Tide with marked improvement over his two seasons there. A functional blocker from multiple alignments, smooth route-running chops, and special-teams experience give Cuevas a path to an NFL role quickly. Truly a tough competitor, Cuevas broke his foot in November and returned to play in just over a month.”
Cowboys Might Have Surprise Star in Massive TE
The Cowboys may already have their solution as Ferguson’s backup with 6-foot-7, 270-pound 3rd year tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford, who is only scheduled to make $1.075 million this season.
The Athletic’s Jon Machota singled out Spann-Ford in a breakdown of the Cowboys’ post-free agency depth chart.
“This is considered to be a good tight end draft,” Machota wrote. “However, the Cowboys aren’t expected to go in that direction. It would not be a surprise to see them enter the season with this group. Spann-Ford is the most intriguing. He seems to have just scratched the surface with his potential as a blocker and pass catcher.”
After going undrafted out of the University of Minnesota in 2024, Spann-Ford has played in every regular-season game the last 2 seasons — 34 consecutive games — with 18 receptions for 178 yards on just 27 targets. He also made his first 5 career starts in 2025 and scored his 1st career touchdown in a 24-21 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12.
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