Sunday was a tough game for the Dallas Cowboys all across the board. But there's one particular player who might've emerged as one of the most affected individuals as a poor performance might just cost him his job on offense and it should have the coaching staff rethinking its current stance on rookie WR Ryan Flournoy (more on that in a bit).
I'm talking about second-year wide receiver Jalen Brooks, whose two biggest moments of the Cowboys' Week 2 loss to the New Orleans Saints stood out for all the wrong reasons.
One of the them happened with the game well within reach, as the Cowboys trailed 14-3 with the ball in the red zone. The Cowboys ran a reverse with wide receiver Brandin Cooks that looked highly promising as Brooks, Luke Schoonmaker, and the offensive linemen were well positioned to provide the right second-level blocks.
Unfortunately, Brooks missed his, and allowed the Saints DB to get the tackle for loss in open space.
Later in the second half, Brooks slipped running a slant route in what would've been a completion on a well-delivered ball by Dak Prescott. Instead, with Brooks on the ground, the Saints got the interception and capitalized on it shortly there after with their fifth touchdown of the first half to go up 35-13.
Should Brooks' mistakes force the Cowboys to try Ryan Flournoy on offense?
After a strong preseason, the Cowboys have left Flournoy on the inactive list as a healthy scratch for the first two weeks of the regular season. The sixth-round rookie sits on the depth chart behind Brooks but one wonders if he should get the nod over Brooks moving forward.
The truth is the latter needs to do more to keep the job as he's been only decent in special teams, with some ups and downs along the way. For what it's worth, KaVontae Turpin credited him last week for enabling him to return a punt for a touchdown.
But the thing is the Cowboys do need the depth at wide receiver, as question marks are still evident at WR3 and beyond. One of the biggest arguments for allowing Flournoy to compete for more reps is the fact that he provides a different playing style as a bigger, more physical X receiver that can win in isolated situations.
On the contrary, the argument against would go along the following lines: After the Cowboys are already taking on so much risk by giving many rookies significant roles (Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, Marshawn Kneeland, and Caelen Carson), do they want to do so with Flournoy as well?
Time will tell. But after Brooks' rough game in Week 2, the door has been opened for Flournoy to make a push for a bigger role.
Related: Cowboys' Dak Prescott explains in-game exchanges with CeeDee Lamb during tough game vs Saints
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