Cowboys 53-man roster prediction: The 2024 all-potential team

Receiver (5): CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Brooks

As a veteran on the decline, Brandin Cooks misses the cut at WR. Cooks had a down season in Dallas last year and at age 31, it could be a sign of more things to come. Young ascending players like Tolbert, Turpin, Flournoy and Brooks all offer higher potential at this point. This is all a long shot of Powerball proportions, but under this scenario long shots are welcomed.

Tolbert has had a slow start to his career but was a highly regarded prospect just two years ago. Blocked by veterans in 2023, he’s due for a breakout in 2024.  Turpin is undersized but offers loads of opportunity as a playmaker. He’s the fastest and shiftiest player this side of Deuce Vaughn and just needs a creative play-caller for his potential to unlock.

Flournoy, this year’s ultra-raw rookie WR, is a longshot to make the team under normal circumstances but in an exercise like this that focuses on potential, he’s a shoo-in for a roster spot. Similarly, Brooks makes the team as a second-year prospect. He has the raw tools to be good, he just has to put it together.  

Just missing the cut is David Durden, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound WR from West Florida. He was a ball magnet in college and could very easily develop into a reliable pro this season in Dallas. But since his skillset isn’t about big measurables or potential, he’s left on the outside looking in.