OXNARD, Calif. — Jake Ferguson has not played a snap this preseason and does not expect to. Tuesday is the closest thing he gets to a game. The Dallas Cowboys host the New Orleans Saints for a joint practice, the second joint session of camp after the Los Angeles Rams came out Aug. 11. Open practices in Oxnard run through Tuesday.
“I think they’re huge,” Ferguson said. “The preseason games, a lot of those young guys get in the work, but those joint practices, it’s a lot of their ones. It’s usually their starting defense going against our starting offense. That’s where we get a good read of what we’re looking like, what we’re feeling like, what we need to clean up.
“And we had that one against the Rams, and we came out firing,” Ferguson continued. “There’s a lot of things we need to clean up. But like I said earlier, it’s a good tell.”
Ferguson was among the starters held out of Saturday’s 17-7 preseason win at Seattle. So were Malik Hooker and Javonte Williams.
Malik Hooker Treats It Like A Home Game
Hooker is entering his 10th NFL season and his sixth with Dallas.
“Obviously, second joint practice, a good team coming in,” Hooker said. “You’ve got some talent on their offense, as far as defense going against them, and looking forward to it, man. It ain’t a regular practice day for us. Like I said, we treat this as it’s a home game. So just looking forward to going out there and getting a good competitive practice tomorrow.”
Joint practices are where players who sit out August games get contact.
“For the guys that don’t get to play in the preseason much, I would assume that’s how they’re looking at it, because that’s the only time you really get to give full contact, as far as with the pads on and everything,” Hooker explained. “So I would say that’s how I think most vets take it.
“But then again, we’re in pads often too, and we got a good offense,” Hooker continued. “So there’s really no days off for us on the defensive side. So just looking forward to getting some other team going against in here with some full pads on.”
Williams wants to see something specific out of Tuesday.
“Just be efficient, stay consistent, just show that we made improvements from the last scrimmage,” Williams said.
Kellen Moore Comes Back To Oxnard
Saints coach Kellen Moore spent eight years in Dallas. He was a quarterback on the roster from 2015 through 2017, then joined the staff as quarterbacks coach in 2018 and served as offensive coordinator from 2019 through 2022. New Orleans hired him as head coach in February 2025.
Moore has scheduled joint practices with all three of his preseason opponents this year. The Saints worked against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Metairie on Aug. 13, come to Oxnard on Tuesday, and travel to the Rams in Los Angeles on Aug. 20.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Tuesday will resemble the Rams session, with fewer reps because New Orleans has another joint practice two days later.
“Carry over a little bit from what we did with the Rams,” Schottenheimer said. “Kel is obviously a friend. And they just had a joint with the Jaguars. And then they’re actually having another joint with the Rams a couple days after us. So Kel and I have kind of laid it out. It’ll be very similar to what we did with the Rams. A few less reps, since they have another joint coming up. But you’ll see a lot of the same situational work, some of the special teams stuff that we need to get done.”
Dallas and New Orleans close the preseason against each other on Aug. 28 at AT&T Stadium.
The Room Behind Jake Ferguson
Ferguson caught 59 passes for 591 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2025. He has been in Dallas since the Cowboys took him in the fourth round in 2022.
The tight end room has turned over around him. Zack Kuntz joined this offseason. Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers are the two rookies, and Trigg played his first NFL game at Seattle after signing as an undrafted free agent out of Baylor on April 26.
“Zack Kuntz coming in, essentially getting thrown into the fire, he’s handled that really well,” Ferguson said. “And then Trigg and DJ, the two rookies, they’re coming in, they’re soaking in all the information they can get, and then they’re really applying it to the field. It was really great to see both of them get out there on the field. And I’m just excited to see how they go throughout the rest of camp.”
Brevyn Spann-Ford did not play at Seattle either. Ferguson knew him in college.
“I knew him in college,” Ferguson said. “He’s always been the guy who’s going to put his nose down and work, and that just proves to the kind of player he is, the kind of guy he is. He’s done that ever since he’s gotten here. And him, Coach giving him the green light, the ball cap on Saturday, is just a testament to how hard he works, what he does on the field, off the field, and how he approaches this game.”
What Jake Ferguson Wants From The Rest Of Camp
Ferguson is not where he wants to be.
“I’m not comfortable. I never want to be comfortable,” Ferguson said. “There’s a lot I want to do. I wouldn’t say I’m where I want to be. There’s a lot I know that I can do, and there’s a spot that I want to be at, and I know I’m not there yet.
“And that’s the point of camp, is get better each and every day, each and every practice,” Ferguson continued. “And that’s all I’m trying to do, is just keep trying to hone in on my game and really perfect my craft.”
Williams did not dress at Seattle. Dallas brought him back in February on a three-year deal worth $24 million after he ran for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns on 252 carries last season. Four Dallas running backs carried the ball without him, and Malik Davis led the group with 39 yards on 7 attempts.
The Cowboys play at the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 22 at 9 p.m. CT.
