Brevyn Spann-Ford drew 147 kids to his old high school field in St. Cloud, Minnesota, on July 13. The free camp came two weeks before he leaves for a Dallas Cowboys training camp that could define his next contract.
Temperatures reached the low 90s, hotter still on the artificial turf at Tiger Stadium. Spann-Ford, a 2018 St. Cloud Tech graduate, ran the drills himself for kids ages 9 to 16 from five area schools.
The camp capped an offseason built on a bet nobody in St. Cloud would have made a decade ago. A kid recruited to catch passes and rush quarterbacks turned himself into one of the NFL’s best-blocking tight ends, just as his rookie contract runs out.
147 Kids Beat the Heat at Tiger Stadium
Players came from St. Cloud Tech, Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sartell, St. Cloud Cathedral and St. Cloud Apollo, five programs that do not always share a field kindly during the season. On July 13 they shared a sideline instead, chasing footballs and penny jerseys handed out by a Cowboys tight end who was an undrafted long shot himself two years ago.
Spann-Ford has spent the summer shuttling between Dallas and central Minnesota, where his family still lives.
“Any time I’m able to give back to the St. Cloud community, it’s a blessing for me,” Spann-Ford said. “Whether it’s through football, or something else, it’s just great to be back here. I’ve been back and forth from Dallas to here all summer. My family still lives in Sauk Rapids and I have nephews and a niece I want to see as much as I can.”
The Blocker His Old Coaches Never Taught
At Tech, Spann-Ford was not a blocker. He caught passes and rushed quarterbacks as a defensive end, coached by head coach Gregg Martig and assistants Jon Benson and Mike Trewick. All three showed up to Monday’s camp.
“I told my wife the other day that he’s doing things out here that we never taught him,” Trewick joked. “We always knew he was a good athlete, but he was usually just running routes and catching balls on offense. I remember there were times when he was with the Gophers that I wish they had just thrown the ball up to him so he could grab it with that 6-7 frame.”
Trewick, now the activities director at Montevideo High School, drove up to help anyway.
The transformation happened over six seasons at the University of Minnesota, where his run blocking led all Power Five tight ends by his redshirt senior year, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF), the analytics service that grades nearly every college and NFL snap. He piled up 14 of the site’s highest-graded blocks that season, four more than any other tight end in the country.
He still went undrafted in 2024. The Cowboys signed him, and he talked his way onto the 53-man roster almost immediately.
How Good Is Spann-Ford at Blocking Now?
Spann-Ford graded as the NFL’s 15th highest-rated tight end overall last season, according to PFF, despite catching just nine passes. His zone-blocking grade of 75.6 ranked 13th among all tight ends, and he posted five separate games with an overall grade above 80.0, evidence that his blocking translated from Minneapolis to Dallas without missing a step.
At 6-foot-7 and 270 pounds, Spann-Ford spent his first two NFL seasons blocking behind starter Jake Ferguson, who caught 82 passes for 600 yards and eight touchdowns last season. Spann-Ford enters camp as the fan favorite for the primary backup job this summer, ahead of 2023 second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker.
| Tight End | 2025 Stat Line | 2026 Role |
|---|---|---|
| Jake Ferguson | 82 catches, 600 yards, 8 TDs | Entrenched starter |
| Brevyn Spann-Ford | 9 catches, 90 yards, 1 TD; PFF’s No. 15 graded tight end | Favorite for the No. 2 job |
| Luke Schoonmaker | 8 catches, 63 yards through 11 games | Fighting to hold his spot |
Both backups are auditioning for their next contract in 2026, but only one of them has a PFF grade that keeps climbing.
“I’m hoping I can have a bigger role in the passing game, but I’m going to do whatever the team asks me,” Spann-Ford said. “We have two of the most talented wide receivers in the NFL in CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. And Jake Ferguson is one of the best tight ends in the league. I’ll just continue to contribute where I’m asked to.”
“No matter what, I’m going to maul people in the run game,” he said. “From there, I’ll try and sharpen my routes and improve the pass details. All I can do is get open and try be available for Dak.”
The Coaches Who Keep Showing Up
Benson took over as Tech’s head coach when Martig left in May 2018, and he called his old boss and his old basketball counterpart when it came time to staff Monday’s camp. All three men share more history with Spann-Ford than one afternoon can hold.
- Gregg Martig – Spann-Ford’s head football coach for all four of his varsity seasons, retired from coaching in 2023 after six seasons as an assistant at Pequot Lakes, and has already traveled to Dallas and Pittsburgh to watch him play.
- Mike Trewick – Spann-Ford’s head basketball coach for all four years at Tech, now the activities director at Montevideo High School, drove to St. Cloud for the camp.
- Jon Benson – Tech’s current head football coach, coached Spann-Ford as a freshman defensive end, and called both former coaches in to help run the camp.
Martig plans to add another trip to that list. He intends to travel to Seattle to watch Dallas play the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks in the regular season on Monday, Dec. 7.
Benson still remembers the first time he felt what Spann-Ford could do. During a freshman-year contact drill, he asked every player to hit him as hard as they could.
“Brevyn came up and knocked the living heck out of me as a freshman,” Benson said. “He was just this skinny kid. I was shocked. I knew he was athletic, but he wasn’t that big. But he had paws.”
Martig, who coached for 30 years, does not expect anyone like Spann-Ford to come along again soon.
“There’s no doubt he’ll have his Hall of Fame induction ceremony when he retires,” Martig said. “I coached for 30 years and I never had a player as talented as he was. You just hope somebody like him comes along once in your career.”
A Contract Year Complicates the Homecoming
Spann-Ford signed a three-year, $2.85 million rookie contract with Dallas in 2024, of which only $245,000 was guaranteed. That deal expires after this season, and his 2026 base salary of $1,075,000 carries a cap hit of just over $1.08 million, modest money for a tight end grading among the position’s best blockers.
Because he went undrafted, Spann-Ford’s route through restricted free agency runs through a lower tender than a drafted rookie would receive. Proving he deserves more than that is the whole point of this season.
- What we know: Spann-Ford’s rookie deal expires after the 2026 season, making him a restricted free agent.
- What we know: Luke Schoonmaker, his primary competition for snaps, faces the exact same contract deadline this year.
- What’s unconfirmed: Whether Dallas extends Spann-Ford before free agency opens or lets restricted free agency play out in March.
- What’s unconfirmed: Whether a bigger role in the passing game this season changes his price on a new deal.
Spann-Ford says he wants to stay put.
“I’ve created great relationships in Dallas,” he said. “I’d be extremely honored to stay there. But we all know football is a business. I know Dallas cares for me as a person and as a player. But when the time comes to decide, I hope I’m able to work something out to stay there. Until then, my focus is on trying to help our team win games.”
Next Stop Is Oxnard
Spann-Ford leaves for training camp on Monday, July 27, with the first practice set for July 29 in Oxnard, California. The Cowboys will spend more than three weeks practicing on the West Coast, including joint sessions with the Rams and Saints, before returning to Frisco.
Spann-Ford wants the youth camp to outlast all of that.
“I was telling the campers that I was just like them growing up,” Spann-Ford said. “I always wanted to go to sports camps and spend time around other athletes. And I let them know I grew up in the same place that they are.”
He mentioned two former Tech basketball players he idolized growing up, Andy Foley and Nate Wolters, and said he wants local kids to see themselves in him the way he once saw himself in them.
“I want to show them that you can be a Central Minnesota kid and make it to the next level,” he said.
Benson and Spann-Ford have already agreed to run the camp again next July.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Brevyn Spann-Ford’s contract situation with the Cowboys?
As a restricted free agent once his deal expires, Dallas can match any outside offer or decline and collect draft compensation instead. His 2024 rookie deal included a $20,000 signing bonus and averaged $950,000 a season, modest pay for a tight end now grading among the league’s top run blockers.
Where did Brevyn Spann-Ford play college football?
Spann-Ford played six seasons at the University of Minnesota, appearing in 60 career games and catching 95 passes for seven touchdowns while developing into one of the country’s top run-blocking tight ends.
When did Brevyn Spann-Ford score his first NFL touchdown?
Spann-Ford caught his first career NFL touchdown on November 24, 2025, a four-yard pass from Dak Prescott in a comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
When does Dallas open preseason play in 2026?
Dallas opens its preseason on the road against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, August 15, roughly three weeks after training camp begins July 27 in Oxnard.
