One of the biggest surprises in the NFL has been the play of George Pickens, who is now third in receiving yards (1,179). He’s been everything the Dallas Cowboys had hoped for and more when they acquired him in May to be their No. 2 receiver.
The duo of CeeDee Lamb and Pickens has been extremely dynamic, and you can make a case that it’s the best pairing in the league right now.
The expectation going into the 2025 season was that Jalen Tolbert would be the No. 3 receiver with KaVontae Turpin and Jonathan Mingo competing for snaps. Tolbert started the season in that role, but he’s been a healthy scratch in recent weeks. That is because of the development of Ryan Flournoy, who has officially earned the No. 3 role in Dallas.
The Cowboys have found something in WR Ryan Flournoy
Anyone who predicted that Flournoy would grow into this role is either a liar or a time traveler. The Cowboys didn’t even see this coming in any way as they released him on August 28th during roster cutdowns. And once he cleared waivers, he signed back to the practice squad and wasn’t officially signed to the active roster until September 13.
If Dallas thought there was any chance he could be a full-time starter, they wouldn’t have released him or kept him on the practice squad for multiple weeks.
But that goes to show the hard work and effort Flournoy has put in to become a key factor in the offense. From Week 5 on, Flournoy has averaged nearly 35 snaps per game on offense, according to Pro Football Reference. While he isn’t quite a full-time starter, he’s been on the field more often than not over the last nine games, and he played a career-high 53 snaps against the Lions in Week 13.
The absence of Lamb (concussion) certainly played a part in the uptick of snaps for Flournoy, but he’s been a productive player whenever he’s gotten opportunities. Week 14 was the second time this season he’s eclipsed 110 receiving yards in a game and it’s easy to see that Dak Prescott is becoming more confident in the second-year receiver from Southeast Missouri State.
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Pro Football Focus grades aren’t the end-all, be-all when it comes to evaluating players. But it is worth noting that Flournoy currently possesses a grade of 76.6, which puts him 23rd among all qualifying receivers. That is a very strong grade for a small-school player who is just starting to earn more action.
One of the reasons why he’s been able to get on the field over players like Turpin, Mingo, and Tolbert has been due to his blocking ability. Flournoy has the third-highest run-block grade (76.6) among all receivers with at least 250 snaps.
And while no one is ever going to confuse him with Hines Ward or Larry Fitzgerald as a blocker, he’s done an excellent job of making himself an asset in the run game. And that’s why he’s been able to earn more opportunities in the passing game. That is how a sixth-round pick from a tiny school is able to get onto the field in Year 2.
Over the final four weeks of the season, expect the Cowboys to give Flournoy even more opportunities in the passing game. With Tolbert expected to leave in free agency and Mingo’s future up in the air, the Cowboys will want to make sure that Flournoy can handle the No. 3 job. And if something were to happen regarding Pickens’ status this offseason, that makes Flournoy’s development even more critical.
It's too strong to say that the Cowboys found a diamond in the rough in Flournoy, considering he’s played just 519 snaps on offense in his career, and he has less than 500 receiving yards. But things are trending in the right direction, and it sure seems like the Cowboys have something here that is worth developing.
Keep an eye on him over the next month as his development could really help this offense go to another level in 2026 and beyond.