Dallas Cowboys' sixth-round rookie wide receiver Ryan Flournoy didn't look quite like a roster lock a few weeks ago when training camp had kicked off and an injury kept him on the sidelines.
For starters, Flournoy sitting meant he couldn't prove to the Cowboys coaching staff that things had clicked for him after being drafted out of a small college. Additionally, teammates Tyron Billy-Johnson and later Jalen Cropper started making enough noise to where nothing appeared to be guaranteed for the rookie.
The good news? Flournoy wanted to earn it, anyways. Upon returning from injury , he's wasted no time turning heads. Despite a few bad moments in the preseason opener, Flournoy's stock is soaring high after a hot streak in practice paired with a strong Week 2 in the preseason in which he scored a key touchdown that he set up with quality route running against an NFL veteran cornerback in the Raiders' Jack Jones.
Right now, suspicion is growing that Flournoy will earn a roster spot over Cropper, who struggled last weekend in Las Vegas , with whom he seemed to be playing a tug of war game to make the team. In the final padded practice in Oxnard, the rookie only took that feeling a step further by burning DaRon Bland on a one-on-one drill.
Just like he did in the preseason game, Flournoy sells a route inside before breaking out into the corner of the endzone. Despite Bland's quick reaction, Flournoy is able to high-point the football on the backshoulder catch. By the way, if you needed the reminder, that's a first-team All-Pro cornerback we're talking about.
It's just one rep, but it goes a long way in illustrating Flournoy's recent rise.
One day earlier, Dak Prescott found Flournoy in back-to-back plays during team drills. Meanwhile, head coach Mike McCarthy hasn't shied away from praising what he's got on the late-round draft pick.
"I just think he's a young man that gets better with every opportunity," McCarthy told reporters on Tuesday. "Obviously, he had the injury, missed some time, I just love the way he bounced back. You can see the confidence from Week 1 to Week 2, he took a huge step. Loved his physicality in run blocking and finish was exceptional but obviously he had the big play there."
It will remain a suspicion from here until cutdown day next Tuesday, August 27th, but it sure is looking like Flournoy is going to be on the 53-man roster.
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