Ryan Flournoy didn’t get the memo that he wasn’t supposed to be here. Not when no FBS program offered him a scholarship. Not when the Dallas Cowboys took him in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. And definitely not when George Pickens joined a receiving room already stacked with CeeDee Lamb, Jake Ferguson, and KaVontae Turpin.
The former Southeast Missouri State receiver just kept working. And by the end of last season, he wasn’t just on the roster. He was a problem for defenses.
Flournoy finished his rookie year with 40 catches for 475 yards and four touchdowns — top-four on the team in each category. But the numbers don’t tell the full story. When the Cowboys needed him most, he showed up.
In a Week 14 game against the Lions with Dallas’ playoff hopes hanging by a thread, Flournoy caught nine passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. The Cowboys still lost and missed the postseason. But the kid from the FCS had made his point.
“It definitely had a big impact on it, just because I know I belong,” Flournoy told Cowboys.com. “I know the offense now, I know how to operate as a professional. Coming in from college, coming in from a small school, you kind of get drowned out. Just trying to navigate what works for you and seeing what works for others, my confidence skyrocketed after I found what worked for me.”
Lamb dealt with injuries last season, which opened up more targets for Flournoy. But even when Lamb was on the field, Flournoy produced. He wasn’t just a fill-in. He forced his way into the rotation.
Hunger that won’t fade
The 6-foot-1 wideout turns 27 this offseason, which for a third-year player is a little older than the norm. But guys who had to scrap their way out of the FCS don’t suddenly get comfortable. Flournoy was a First-Team All-Ohio Valley Conference pick at Southeast Missouri State, but that was a different world. The NFL was supposed to be too big for him.
He didn’t get that memo either.
“My confidence skyrocketed after I found what worked for me,” he said, and there’s no reason to doubt him. The Cowboys’ offense will again run through Lamb, but defenses are going to have to account for a second outside threat who has something to prove.
That’s good news for Dak Prescott. A quarterback with a reliable second target who plays like he’s still auditioning for a roster spot? That’s dangerous.
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