Dallas Cowboys deep wide receiver group looks great early

Early in the season, against mediocre teams, the Dallas Cowboys deep group of receivers has stepped up in a big way through injuries.

With wide receiver Tavon Austin missing Weeks Two and Three along with Michael Gallup missing week three, Devin Smith has found himself on the game-day roster for two consecutive weeks after being a healthy scratch in week one.

Not only has Smith been active, but he has made an extreme impact. The Ohio native may not be a household name in the NFL, but you may remember him from his college days at Ohio State.

His senior season, Smith a breakout season with 33 receptions for 931 yards and 12 touchdowns, leading the team while playing alongside Ezekiel Elliott, Noah Brown, and Michael Thomas. Due to his speed, Smith coming out of college was compared to DeSean Jackson for his ability to burn corners on deep routes. In week two, during his Dallas Cowboys regular-season debut, he did just that.

In a crucial moment during the week two matchup against the Washington Redskins, Smith ripped off a 51-yard score from Dak Prescott. He finished this game with three catches for 74 yards and a touchdown. The very next week, in week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, Smith had two big grabs for 39 yards.

When it comes to Devin Smith, the question is not talent or ability to perform at the NFL level. The issue with him is his well-documented injury history.

Back in late November of Smith’s rookie season, he scored his first career touchdown against the Miami Dolphins. Just two weeks later, he suffered a season-ending ACL injury which dragged into the next season as well. Due to this, Smith only appeared in four games in the 2016 season.

In the offseason prior to the 2017 season, Smith once again tore the same ACL. This second ACL injury resulted in him missing the entire 2017 season, ultimately leading to his release from the Jets in the summer of 2018. Last January, the Cowboys took a shot on Devin Smith, signing him to a reserve/future contract, which is already paying dividends.

With the injury bug already affecting the Dallas receivers early in the season, other guys will have to step up. Devin Smith has been one of the players who has done just that early on in the season. Wide receiver depth, although against mediocre teams, has proven to be good enough to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 3-0 start to the season. Will Smith continue to find his way on the field to make plays once everyone is back and healthy?