The Dallas Cowboys are watching 1 of their former late-round picks blossom into what could become a star in his own right in wide receiver Ryan Flournoy.
Flournoy made a massive leap in terms of production between his rookie year and Year 2 in 2025, and looks to make another leap in Year 3 to perhaps the NFL’s best WR3 option behind NFL All-Pro wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens.
Athlon Sports NFL Reporter Luke Easterling put Flournoy at the top of his list of “Secret Weapons” for NFL teams headed into 2026.
“Dak Prescott has one of the NFL’s best receiver tandems with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, but Flournoy is primed for a breakout campaign as the Cowboys’ No. 3 target,” Easterling wrote. “Originally a sixth-round pick who finished his winding college football career at Southeastern Missouri State, showed flashes of potential in limited work last season, catching 40 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns. Lamb and Pickens will continue to get the lion’s share of the targets in Dallas’ passing game, but while opposing defenses are trying to slow them down, Flournoy should benefit from plenty of 1-on-1 opportunities.”
How Much of a Surprise Will Ryan Flournoy Be?
ESPN’s Todd Archer singled Flournoy out as 1 of the NFL’s “Biggest Surprises” this offseason.
“Flournoy is coming off a 40-catch, 475-yard, four-touchdown season a year ago when he had two 100-yard games, so surprise might be a little much, but if something happens to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the Cowboys know what they have in Flournoy,” Archer wrote on June 22. “He is strong attacking the ball. This offseason, he has worked in the slot more.”
Flournoy managed to have his mini-breakout season in 2025 with just 4 starts while taking a backseat to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. With Tolbert out the door to the Miami Dolphins in free agency, that WR3 role seems like it’s now Flournoy’s to lose.
Cowboys Getting Massive Value for Ryan Flournoy
Flournoy is in the 3rd season of his 4-year, $4.15 million contract, meaning if he can truly be the WR3 for the Cowboys, that’s a pretty incredible value at just over $1 million per year in a spot NFL teams will pay between $5 million to $10 million for in some cases.
“RYAN FLOURNOY IS OFFICIALLY WR 3 FOR THE DALLAS COWBOYS,” Dallas Cowboys Plug wrote on its official X account after Tolbert signed with the Dolphins. “FLO GANGGGGG”
Flournoy could also be setting himself up for a massive payday in a few years and compares favorably to wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who just signed a 1-year, $8 million free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings worth up to $13 million with incentives.
While the Cowboys went 7-9-1 in 2025 and missed the playoffs, it wasn’t because of their offense, which was arguably the NFL’s best in 2025.
That offense had so many weapons that it’s incredible Flournoy was able to make the impact he did — in any pecking order he was behind Lamb, Pickens, tight end Jake Ferguson and running back Javonte Williams in terms of who gets the ball first. Add Tolbert in the mix, and what Flournoy accomplished is even more impressive.
“Hiding in plain sight on a dynamic Cowboys offense, Flournoy posted an 80.3 PFF overall grade as the unit’s third-highest-graded player,” PFF’s Zach Tantillo wrote. “He brought in 40 of his 42 catchable targets and led Dallas in touchdown receptions from Weeks 9 through 18.”
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