Inside The Star
When CeeDee Lamb went down with a multi-week ankle injury in a Week 3 loss in Chicago, it felt like the sky was going to fall for the Dallas offense. Instead, we’ve seen George Pickens, Jake Ferguson, and an unexpected Cowboys rising star emerge.
Ryan Flournoy, the team’s sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, finally saw the field consistently and took advantage of the opportunity.
The former Southeast Missouri State Seahawk seemingly became the Cowboys’ WR2 with Lamb and KaVontae Turpin on the sidelines. In total, he reeled in 11 catches for 158 yards in his three games as a starter.
Now, with the return of these more established wide receivers imminent, we have to wonder if his stock will continue to soar or fade.
We could see this situation go either way; it will be one of the top storylines for Cowboys fans to follow in the coming weeks.
On one hand, the team cannot reasonably ignore what Flournoy showed. You could argue he showed more in these last few weeks than guys like Jalen Tolbert ever have. He looked and played like a true WR3 or better.
Ryan Flournoy having triple-digit receiving yards is not something I had on my bingo card.
Seeing Flournoy develop into a legit WR weapon for the Cowboys' offense is a good thing both now and later. pic.twitter.com/XBtN4wXiR2
— Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) October 5, 2025
We’ve also seen the team praise his performance, both in this current run and when he was just grinding for a roster spot.
The flip side, however, is that the Cowboys favor experience and expectations quite a bit.
It won’t be easy for them to hide Tolbert, and the returning Jonathan Mingo in favor of the 216th pick in his draft class. The former cost Dallas a third-round pick when they drafted him, and the latter sent a key fourth-rounder to Carolina last year.
If they force those guys into action to “maximize” the return on investment, we won’t be seeing Flournoy nearly as much as we have been.
There is something else to consider here: even if Dallas prioritizes their most costly weapons over Flournoy this year, he may have cemented his role for 2026 and beyond.
The Cowboys, whether from an extension or the franchise tag, will likely be paying Pickens a lot of money to stay by Lamb’s side.
Jalen Tolbert, as a result, should be signing elsewhere this offseason, and the rest of the wide receiver room in general will have to be cheap to afford two top weapons. Ryan Flournoy could capitalize on that.
We might just see the Cowboys bring him back on a cheap deal as the WR3 behind Lamb and Pickens; it’s safe to say that wouldn’t have happened without his impressive stretch.
