Slow-motion clip of Ryan Flournoy burning Raiders star on TD proves he's legit

A number of Dallas Cowboys players needed to bounce back in Saturday's preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Trey Lance topped the list, but not far behind were running back Malik Davis, cornerback Eric Scott Jr., linebacker Willie Harvey Jr. and receiver Ryan Flournoy.

All of those players with the exception of Davis performed well. Lance struggled with accuracy at times, but he was more composed. Meanwhile, Scott was the Cowboys' fifth-highest-graded defender, per PFF, and Harvey had a fourth down PBU that should've been a pick-six.

Neither Lance, Davis, Scott or Harvey colored themselves in glory in the preseason opener, but Flournoy's debut was a nightmare. They hyped-up rookie dropped two passes and fumbled a completed pass out of bounds on top of committing an illegal shift penalty.

It appears that Flournoy needed one game to get his feet wet in the NFL because he oozed confidence on Saturday. He caught Dallas' first touchdown of the preseason late in the second quarter.

It was a filthy inside-out route from Flournoy, who smoked Raiders standout cornerback Jack Jones on the release.

Cowboys WR Ryan Flournoy destroyed Raiders star Jack Jones on TD grab

That is poetry in motion. Flournoy's move is even more impressive being that Jones is arguably the Raiders' best cornerback.

A fourth-round pick of the Patriots in 2022, Jones came on strong at the end of last season with four pass breakups and two interceptions in seven games with the Raiders after he was claimed off waivers in mid-November.

Jones applied sticky coverage all night and made a great play to break up a pass intended for Jalen Brooks in the first quarter. The fact Flournoy made him look silly proves the sixth-round pick is the real deal. The play was also a testament to his high football IQ. He knew Jones was going to try to jump the route.

"I got the play call, I knew he was thinking slant, so I tried to sell the slant," said Flournoy, via Nick Harris of the team's official website. " I saw him jump inside, saw the ball in the air, and it was just a big play from there. God placed me in the right position."

Flournoy made waves with his destruction of Jones, but he turned in a complete performance, leading the team with four catches and finishing second with 23 receiving yards. His routes were sharp and he showed strong hands, but he was also a force as a blocker. In fact, he was more impactful as a blocker than a pass-catcher before the touchdown.

Flournoy is still raw and might ultimately need a year on the practice squad, but he made a big step toward making the 53-man roster with this performance.

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