Cowboys Address Concussion Problem Amid Position Group Surprise

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Nov 20, 2024 9:45 AM ET

The Dallas Cowboys' season felt like it was going from bad to worse after tight end Jake Ferguson couldn't make it through the first quarter of the 34-10 defeat to the Houston Texans due to a concussion.

That left the much-maligned Luke Schoonmaker and rookie Brevyn Spann-Ford to pick up the slack, and pick it up they did.

Now, lets preface this by saying that neither were world-beaters against Houston, but in a season where there is a clear eye on 2025 and beyond, having the younger brigade not only get their feet wet, but play to a decent level, is one good thing to come out of yet another blowout loss.

And offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer was full of praise for the young duo.

“I thought they both played pretty well,” Schottenheimer said. “We tried to get them both involved, but I know the one thing is when we lost Fergie, we didn't check [on] all the packages, we wanted to play them both. I was happy for Scoony [Schoonmaker], some of the contested catches, I thought he did a good job. I love Brevyn’s play style, the way he flies around the way, he hits people, he's a finisher around the pile, which is cool. We're getting our young guys a lot of experience which is a good thing.”

Schoonmaker had the best game of his young career, hauling in six catches for 56 yards. Yes, we know the bar wasn't exactly set too high, but the former second-round pick made some tough contested catches to make us think there is a glimmer of hope for the future. Now, as Schottenheimer has stated previously, he needs to be consistent.

Then we get to Spann-Ford, who, like Schoonmaker, seemed to have a good connection with Cooper Rush as he had four receptions for 42 yards and showcased his athleticism on several occasions.

Schoonmaker managed 44 snaps to Spann-Ford's 41, and the young duo at least gave a good account of themselves. Exactly how much stock you should put into this performance, though, is in the eye of the beholder, but it certainly beats the alternative.

On a night when the Cowboys' season continued to sink into the darkness, Schoonmaker and Spann-Ford offered a small glimmer of light.

And with Ferguson likely out against the Washington Commanders this week, the pair have a chance to build on their positive production.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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