Over his first 15 games as a professional wide receiver, Ryan Flournoy had never been targeted for more than three passes in a game or totaled more than 41 receiving yards in a single outing.
So his six-catch, 114-yard day in Sunday’s 37-22 win over the Jets was indeed a breakout performance… but that doesn’t mean his Cowboys teammates were caught off-guard.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all,” tight end Jake Ferguson said of the team’s sixth-round draft pick from last year. “He’s been doing that since he’s been here. He’s been making plays. He’s been making those catches, those runs after catches. And he’s passionate. He loves the game. And when you see that, you know that something good’s going to happen.”
And it happened a lot, with Flournoy- making just his second start ever- seeing nine targets on the afternoon and doing a more than admirable job of taking up the slack left by the injured CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin.
“It meant a lot to me, and it meant a lot for this team,” Flournoy told reporters after the game. “We lost two superstars- CeeDee and Turp, and I pray for them every single day- but I’m just glad I got the opportunity to showcase my talent and put the world on notice [about] just who Ryan Flournoy is.”
But as Ferguson pointed out, those in the locker room with him have already known.
Dak Prescott immediately recalled one-on-one time spent with Flournoy during the summer retreats the quarterback has organized, explaining how that helped the two build a rapport off the field even before they started connecting on it.
“He wants to be great,” Prescott said in his postgame press conference. “Every opportunity and responsibility he can, he wants to make the most of.”
Even when those opportunities come in the heat of the North Texas summer. Flournoy says he was on permanent stand-by to get in additional reps with his quarterback whenever an impromptu backyard throwing session came up.
“I tried to make myself available,” Flournoy said of the workouts Prescott would host at his backyard field. “Every time he texted in the group chat, ‘I’m throwing at this time,’ I’m probably the first one there. I just pick his brain because he’s a 10-year vet; I see him in the Hall of Fame. I just love the way he leads, and I’m following him.”
Head coach Brian Schottenheimer has noticed all the extra effort.
“So happy for Flo,” Schottenheimer remarked to media members. “This guy’s been through so much, and he’s worked his way up the depth chart… and then was waiting for an opportunity.”
That wait took Flournoy to some out-of-the-way stops on his route to The Star. Collegiate stints with the Central Missouri Mules, the Iowa Western Community College Reivers, and the Southeast Missouri State Redhawks aren’t on too many NFL résumés.
But that circuitous journey, which included being waived by Dallas and then re-signed to the practice squad, where he had to claw his way up through the WR depth chart- has only given Flournoy more appreciation for the destination.
“It’s so sweet, man,” the 25-year-old smiled. “It’s hard, but you’ve got to let the food cook. Once I got my opportunity, I was like, ‘I got to run with it.’ I just had to stay patient, honestly.”
He certainly did that on Sunday and possibly just leapfrogged depth options like Jalen Brooks, Jalen Cropper, and Traeshon Holden for good. He may have even given Cowboys coaches a difficult either-or decision to make in the near future when it comes to veterans like Jonathan Mingo, Parris Campbell, and Jalen Tolbert.
“He’s just showing that he’s very deserving of the ball and he’s going to make plays when he gets it,” Prescott said. “Super proud of him.”
But Flournoy is proud of Prescott, too. The 32-year-old is getting early MVP buzz- and was serenaded with a chant to that effect leaving MetLife Stadium on Sunday.
And even in the middle of his own coming-out party, Flournoy is thrilled to be playing a small but growing part in that campaign.
“I was chanting with them,” he admitted.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: ‘Deserving of the ball’: Sixth-round pick’s breakout game no surprise to Cowboys teammates
Reporting by Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
