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Dallas Cowboys tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford.
There has been an intriguing sub-market for tight ends that’s emerged over the last few years — players who are getting paid more than you might believe to be block-first, catch-later assets.
The Washington Commanders gave John Bates a 3-year, $21 million contract before the 2025 season. He has 17-game averages of 15 receptions, 144 yards and 1 touchdown through his first 5 seasons.
Baltimore Ravens third-string tight end Charlie Kolar just signed a 3-year, $24.3 million free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers. He has 10 receptions for 142 yards and 4 touchdowns through his first 4 seasons.
Dallas Cowboys tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford might be the next man up.
The Athletic’s Jon Machota singled out the 6-foot-7, 270-pound 3rd year tight end in a recent 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.”
Brevyn Spann-Ford’s first career touchdown!
Spann-Ford Could Represent Huge ROI
The defense-needy Cowboys not having to spend a 2026 draft pick on a tight end because of the confidence they have in Spann-Ford as Pro Bowler Jake Ferguson’s backup could be noteworthy in several ways.
First, the Cowboys need to use as many picks as they can this year on defense, which means maybe 5 or even 6 of their 8 total picks in the 2026 NFL draft.
Second, Spann-Ford isn’t getting paid very much, in relative terms. He’s only scheduled to make $1.075 million this season.
Went Undrafted Despite Elite Measurables
It’s kind of hard to believe now that Spann-Ford wasn’t selected in the 2024 NFL draft. Not only did he have 90 receptions for 1,032 yards and 5 touchdowns over his final 3 seasons at the University of Minnesota, he also played in the Senior Bowl and ran the 40-yard dash in an impressive 4.77 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.
“I’ll never forget this feeling,” Spann-Ford wrote on his official X account after he went undrafted. “Right back to work.”
i’ll never forget this feeling. right back to work.
From UDFA to Critical Role in Cowboys’ Offense
Since Spann-Ford signed with the Cowboys hours after the end of the draft, he hasn’t looked back.
“I have so many clips of Brevyn Spann–Ford snatching souls in the run game,” NFL reporter John Owning wrote on his official X account in April 2024. “Easily my favorite UDFA.”
“NEWS: Former Gophers TE Brevyn Spann–Ford (@brevyn_) has seemingly survived the Cowboys roster cuts, making the official 53-man roster,” BMTN’s Tony Liebert wrote on X in August 2024. Quite the journey for the St. Cloud, Minnesota native after going undrafted in the spring. Dallas will begin the season with 4 TEs on the roster.”
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.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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