The Dallas Cowboys have a pep in their step following Sunday's 37-22 win over the New York Jets. It was the type of performance that America's Team needed after last week's 40-40 tie, and Cowboys fans have plenty of players to thank for the first win since Week 2, including wide receiver Ryan Flournoy.
It was a career day at MetLife Stadium for Flournoy, who stepped up with fellow wideouts CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin sidelined. The Cowboys wouldn't have won without his electric performance, leaving head coach Brian Schottenheimer with an obvious decision on his hands: he must increase Flournoy's target count moving forward.
Cowboys Must Capitalize on Ryan Flournoy's Week 5 Breakout
Entering Week 5, Flournoy had attracted only five targets for four catches and 35 receiving yards in the Cowboys' first four games. He ended up completely smashing those totals on Sunday afternoon, finishing with career highs in receptions (6), receiving yards (114), and targets (9) to prove why Dallas drafted him 216th overall in 2024.
Considering how he had never seen more than three targets in a game before this weekend, Flournoy's successful handling of his increased workload deserves applause. Other players would've crumbled under the pressure, especially if they were asked to be the WR2 opposite George Pickens. The fact that Flournoy didn't flinch en route to a career night needs to be rewarded.
Flournoy won't usurp Pickens or Lamb (when he's healthy), which leaves the ex-SE Missouri State product to compete for the Cowboys' WR3 role. Fortunately, competition hasn't been overly fierce this season. Turpin still needs to split offensive and special teams duties. Jalen Tolbert has been invisible outside of Week 4, while fans have likely forgotten that Jalen Cropper and Jalen Brooks are still with the organization.
In other words, another strong performance against the Carolina Panthers in Week 6 could completely change Flournoy's trajectory. The Panthers are coming off a 27-24 win where they surrendered 256 receiving yards and three touchdowns to the Miami Dolphins' pass-catchers, indicating that there could be opportunities for the second-year Cowboys WR to replicate Sunday's success.
Cowboys fans have been waiting for Flournoy's breakout performance for well over a year, and the time finally arrived this weekend. Hopefully, it wasn't a flash-in-the-pan performance. The Cowboys' offense could do some serious damage with Flournoy stepping up alongside Pickens and Lamb, making it interesting to see how high the 25-year-old playmaker's ceiling might be.