OXNARD, Calif. – A year ago, training camp with the Cowboys for wide receiver Ryan Flournoy was one where he was fighting for a job. Flournoy said he enter camp thinking he was wide receiver six on the roster.
Fast forward, and now Flournoy is Dallas' third option at wide receiver after catching 40 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns in his second NFL season.
"Super different, I'm in a different spot…" Flournoy said of how different this year's training camp is. "My confidence is up. I know what to expect, I know what to do. Definitely just having fun, just going out there and playing comfortable."
Flournoy's story is similar to that of former Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin, who was also an undrafted wide receiver that wore the number 19 and had to earn his way onto a roster, and ended up playing 10 years in the league with two Pro Bowls. Austin's journey is one that resonated with Flournoy.
"That was kind of one of the reasons I picked 19," Flournoy said. "I was 80 my rookie year, obviously Miles Austin was in 19, Amari Cooper was in 19. They got the 88 tradition, I want to do the 19 tradition, for sure."
Twice in his career, Austin was a 1,000 yard receiver. Flournoy has that goal set out for himself and his teammates in 2026.
"Oh yea, always," Flournoy said when asked if 1,000 yards was on the table for him. "I wanted 1,000 yards last year. But definitely, honestly, 1,000 yards for everybody on the offense. I feel like me, [George Pickens], CeeDee [Lamb], even [Jake Ferguson] can do it."
One area that Flournoy and his fellow skill position players want to improve in is the red zone, where Dallas felt they didn't capitalize enough in last year.
"We weren't very good last year, and we have the skill positions, even the o-linemen to be great down there, even the running backs," Flournoy said. "This year, it's something, in the red zone, we really look forward to. We want to be number one in offense."
As for his own offseason improvements, Flournoy has been working to continue doing the things that got him to this point in his career.
"Really just being consistent," Flournoy said. "I wanted to work on my route running, even Dak's trust with me, being at the spot, knowing where to be, when to be, not being too early, not being too late, that's what I've been working on."
Flournoy credits fellow Cowboys WR and Pro Bowler CeeDee Lamb with being a "tremendous" help for him and his growth in the NFL and Dallas' offense.
"I can't give him enough credit, man," Flournoy said. "Just learning from him, even just asking questions and watching him, how he is a pro and how he approach this game, and you can tell he loves it, you can tell he's obsessed with it. I implement some of his stuff into my game, and it shows on the field. A lot of stuff y'all see comes from him and [George Pickens], and obviously my talent, but I learned a lot from him."
He's also learning from the Cowboys' new look defense, which features a lot of new faces under Christian Parker in 2026 that allow him to prepare for different types of cornerback play.
"They're terrific," Flournoy said of the Cowboys' secondary players. "I'm honestly excited, and I look forward to going against them every practice… Just knowing how physical, and they bring so much to the table."
Now, Flournoy is looking to bring even more to the table for Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys' offense as their third option in his third season.
