8 biggest surprises and disappointments for Cowboys so far in 2022

Surprise: Noah Brown, WR

Michael Gallup was out until Week 4 after tearing his ACL last season and James Washington has yet to make his debut. This means the Cowboys had to lean on Noah Brown more than expected and he’s risen to the challenge.

A seventh-round pick in 2017, Brown had 68 yards on five receptions in Week 1 and then put up 91 yards on another five catches while scoring his first career touchdown. Now after four games, he has 18 receptions for 274 yards, both of which are career-highs for him.

He’s not only running crisp routes, but he’s making clutch plays on third downs and was huge as they upset the Bengals in Week 2. On top of his talent as a receiver, he’s still one of the better blockers in the run game, making him an all-around threat.

Disappointment: Dalton Schultz, TE

It might not seem fair to call Dalton Schultz a disappointment since he was injured in Week 2 and missed Week 3 but he still has just nine receptions on the year — with seven coming in Week 1. He returned to the field in Week 4 but was clearly not at 100 percent, and finished with no receptions on three targets.

What really puts him on this list is the fact that he’s making roughly $10 million on the franchise tag, but when he was gone against the Giants, undrafted rookie Peyton Hendershot held things down with 43 yards on three receptions. With the pay discrepancy, Schultz should have been missed much more than he was.