FRISCO, Texas – In late August, WR Ryan Flournoy had made the Cowboys' 53-man roster heading into his second season with the team after being a sixth-round pick in 2024.
Two days later, he was waived.
"It was definitely a shock to me," Flournoy said. "I was going to celebrate with my wife [for] making the 53-man the roster and then got the call. But honestly, I didn't blink. I knew God had a plan, He's going to pave the way. If my story wasn't written by Him, I'd be lost."
Flournoy recalled the events of the day, especially his meeting with Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
"It was a meeting, probably a quick 10-minute meeting, he said he would love to get me back, for me to survive waivers and stuff like that," Flournoy said. "That he would be devastated if I was to go to a different team. I came back, got put on practice squad, got elevated and everything he said came true. He is a man of his word."
Sure enough, Flournoy was back with his teammates in no time on the practice squad shortly thereafter. Two weeks later, he was signed back to the active roster where he's been ever since.
"Just keep working every single day," Flournoy said of his mindset. "I'm a person to grind. I don't want to get handouts, I always want to be on time, I always want to be on time, I always want to do the right thing. I feel like I get rewarded for doing stuff like that. Even when stuff doesn't go my way, it's okay, I just continue to put my head down and just keep going."
Turning the clock back to training camp in Oxnard, it was there that Flournoy had his "aha" moment, if you will, where he realized that he wasn't in the NFL by accident and could play at a high level amongst the best in the world.
"I was fighting for the team, and it actually happened on special teams," Flournoy recalled. "After going out there on special teams and, you know, dominating, I'm like, 'Oh okay, I belong. I feel like I could be the top special teams player of the year.'"
"And then that just went to receiver, and it just went to my confidence skyrocketed. I got the coaches' trust after one of my best games, was the Jets game, after that, it was like, 'Okay, I definitely belong.'"
Against New York in Week 5, Flournoy exploded onto the scene with a 114 receiving yards on six catches for the Cowboys in a 37-22 win over the Jets. Dallas was without CeeDee Lamb for that game, and going into it, Flournoy knew he needed to play whatever role he was asked to play to the best of his ability.
"Going into that game, we went into the meeting room and I saw plays drawn up for me. I was like, 'Okay, they trust me, let me not disappoint them,'" Flournoy said. "I really took the time to study the plays, to study everybody's position. If Turp needs to come out, I can line up where he needs to be. Just taking the time to help my body practice hard, that's what that week looked like and I just kept that routine."
One again last week, Lamb went down at the start of the second half against the Detroit Lions, and Flournoy was again there for his team when they turned his way, racking up 115 yards and a touchdown on nine receptions.
"Just got thrown in the fire," Flournoy said. "I prepared for it. I know what everybody's supposed to be doing, I know where everybody's supposed to be at, so when CeeDee went down, I was like 'Okay, let me step up and let me be the player they need.' I wanted to win that game, a lot of my teammates wanted to win that game, so I was just going out there to win."
A large component of his preparation? Extra work with Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, who he has worked tirelessly with to earn trust from.
"Whenever [Prescott] had texted our group chat that he's throwing, I always try to make myself available," Flournoy said. "Anything I had, I'm like, 'Alright, I've got to go run routes for Dak.' I knew I wanted to pick his mind, he's a 10-year veteran, one of the greatest quarterbacks to me. Honestly, I knew that if I could gain his trust, I could develop and be a top receiver. My whole goal is to make it to the Hall of Fame, and me and him had countless conversations about that."
Canton may still be a ways away, but Flournoy is determined to continue proving himself and his team right by making plays for the Cowboys' offense when called upon.
"When I get a play called for me, I'm like, 'Alright, let's do this, come on. Let me show everybody. Let me prove to myself that I could be a Hall of Fame caliber receive,'" Flournoy said. "I always looked up to Jerry Rice. I like how he always went hard every single play… so I just go out there, run play, pass play, I just go fast."
