A state of panic settled in amongst Dallas Cowboys fans when CeeDee Lamb went down with a high-ankle sprain and was ruled out for multiple games. That bad news snowballed when KaVontae Turpin suffered a foot injury and was given the same timeline.
However, Brian Schottenheimer proved that he's more than capable of running a high-powered offense even without two key pass-catchers, and he will be put to the test again this Sunday against the Panthers after Turpin told reporters he likely won't play due to his foot injury.
The Cowboys' offense is definitely better when Turpin is healthy, but his absence gives Ryan Flournoy another chance to prove that he belongs following his Week 5 breakout.
Cowboys fans should expect a lot more of Ryan Flournoy in Week 6
It's hard to find silver linings with Lamb and Turpin out. However, their respective absences have allowed Dak Prescott to build better chemistry with George Pickens. With Pickens shadowed by Jets star cornerback Sauce Gardner in Week 5, Prescott turned to Flournoy as his go-to receiver.
Many expected Jalen Tolbert to assume the WR2 role without Lamb and Turpin, but it was Flournoy who rose to the occasion, finishing as the Cowboys' leading receiver with six catches for 114 yards on nine targets. That was by design, too, as Schottenheimer laid out the meaning behind his play-calling earlier this week.
"I don’t really call plays to try to get a ball to a spot on the field," Schottenheimer said. "I call plays to get balls to people. … You’re always going to feature your ‘elite players.’ We have a lot of elite players."
For starters, if you needed any more evidence that the Cowboys found their coach, that quote should be all that you need. It also proves that Schottenheimer intended to make Flournoy a focal point.
A sixth-round pick in 2024, Flournoy has a lot of believers within the Cowboys fan base. He just needed a chance to prove himself. He showed improvement in training camp and the preseason, but there wasn't enough of a sample size to suggest a breakout year was on the horizon.
Flournoy scored a 9.89 Relative Athletic Score before he was drafted. That ranked 38 out of 3,402 receivers who have tested from 1987 to 2024. The size, speed, and explosiveness combo was out in full force against the Jets. That physical profile is enough reason to believe that his breakout game was a sign of things to come and not just a flash in the pan.
Hopefully, we see more of the same this Sunday.