Blogging The Boys
One good showing does not earn one a roster spot, but it does have a way of gaining one more attention. Dallas Cowboys second-year wide receiver Ryan Flournoy hasn’t made just one play that’s turned Brian Schottenheimer attention his way, he’s made several. He’s been pretty consistent throughout training camp and carried it over to the first week of the preseason against the Los Angeles Rams last Saturday.
“He’s learning to change up some of his releases, which you love, but strong hands and really good with the ball in his hands,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s the guy that broke the tackle on the boundary, right? That was really cool to see. You see their confidence start to blossom when you get going, and the more they play, you’re more like okay, I see it coming together for them.”
The stat line shows Flournoy only caught one pass for 20 yards against the Rams last week, but that doesn’t exactly tell the whole story. He was routinely getting open, running clean crisp routes, and should have had a huge game if not for Joe Milton’s erratic QB play. Despite only the one catch, the young receiver still managed to catch the attention of his head coach in a positive way.
Flournoy currently finds himself in a group with Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Brooks, and Traeshon Holden for those fourth and fifth roster spots behind CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and KaVontae Turpin to make Dallas’ final 53-man roster. This position battle is starting to get hot and heavy right now and it’s going to be really interesting to watch and find out who can eventually emerge from the pack.
For whatever reason, Flournoy doesn’t seem to be getting the same amount of attention as some of his counterparts, despite his consistent play in training camp and preseason. And yet, he still continues to show up on a play-to-play basis whether his number is called or not. It’s that kind of work ethic and attention to detail that could help him separate himself from the rest of the competition.
The second-year WR out of Southeast Missouri State checks all of the boxes as a good, solid backup. He has the size (6’1″, 200) and speed (4.44), and on top of that, he played 29.93% of Dallas’ special teams snaps a season ago also adds to his value. So, it may be unwise to overlook him in the quest for one of those few coveted remaining roster spots at WR with the Dallas Cowboys this year. He’s got a lot going for him right now.
