One of the most interesting positional battles for the Cowboys this year has been at wide receiver. The addition of George Pickens has moved everyone down a spot on the roster and has increased competition for the fourth and fifth wide receiver spots. At this point, KaVontae Turpin feels locked into the third wide receiver role with Jalen Tolbert likely rotating in.
The Cowboys have kept six receivers on the roster in previous years, but that could change under Brian Schottenheimer. That means that a handful of receivers including Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Brooks, and Traeshon Holden are competing for the final spot on the roster.
Brooks felt like a near-lock to make the team early in the preseason as he was on the roster each of the last two seasons and ran with the first-team punt coverage unit. He earned 30 targets during the 2024 season and was active for 14 games in Year 2 of his NFL career. But it’s starting to feel like he might not make the roster this time around.
In a recent podcast appearance, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram mentioned that the Cowboys will likely only keep five receivers this year and that the battle has come down to Flournoy versus Brooks for the final spot. Both Harris and John Owning of the Cross Chop Podcast picked Flournoy to make the roster over Brooks, given his improvements on special teams and his potential as a receiver.
Jalen Brooks could be the odd-man out in the Cowboys' WR room
The knee injury to Jonathan Mingo has increased the competition at the bottom of the roster, as he is expected to go on the injured reserve list and miss at least the first four weeks of the season. But that has opened up a spot for one more receiver to make the roster.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Cowboys keep Flournoy, considering he is the more athletic player and has three more years left on his rookie contract. He’s also improved a lot as a receiver in Year 2, and Harris mentioned that he is the “tougher” player, which could tip the scales in his favor.
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The Cowboys are trying to become a more physical team, and keeping someone with Flournoy's measurables does make some long-term sense.
It’s also possible that Dallas decides to keep both players and go long at the receiver position. But that doesn’t seem to be the direction the team is heading right now. If Brooks is the one who ends up being released, he looks like a prime candidate to return to the practice squad and be elevated early in the season to help as a blocker and on special teams.
The Cowboys have a really tough decision to make in the very near future, and cutting a player who has outperformed his draft capital would be difficult. But that could happen, and it’s a shame for a player like Brooks, who has continued to improve each year since being drafted.
Brooks has had a strong camp and preseason, but the upside of Flournoy might be too enticing to ignore for the coaching staff.