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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy.

The Dallas Cowboys already had a hint of what they have in wide receiver and former 6th-round pick Ryan Flournoy — this offseason has only given them further proof.

The Cowboys know they have the NFL’s best wide receiver duo in NFL All-Pros George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb. With Flournoy, they might have the NFL’s best wide receiver trio as well.

ESPN’s Todd Archer singled Flournoy out as  1 of the NFL’s “Biggest Surprises” this offseason.

“Flournoy is coming off a 40-catch, 475-yard, four-touchdown season a year ago when he had two 100-yard games, so surprise might be a little much, but if something happens to CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the Cowboys know what they have in Flournoy,” Archer wrote on June 22. “He is strong attacking the ball. This offseason, he has worked in the slot more.”

Flournoy managed to have his mini-breakout season in 2025 with just 4 starts while taking a backseat to wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. With Tolbert out the door to the Miami Dolphins in free agency, that WR3 role seems like it’s now Flournoy’s to lose.

Cowboys Getting Massive Value for Ryan Flournoy

Flournoy is in the 3rd season of his 4-year, $4.15 million contract, meaning if he can truly be the WR3 for the Cowboys, that’s a pretty incredible value at just over $1 million per year in a spot NFL teams will pay between $5 million to $10 million for in some cases.

“RYAN FLOURNOY IS OFFICIALLY WR 3 FOR THE DALLAS COWBOYS,” Dallas Cowboys Plug wrote on its official X account after Tolbert signed with the Dolphins. “FLO GANGGGGG”

Flournoy could also be setting himself up for a massive payday in a few years and compares favorably to wide receiver Jauan Jennings, who just signed a 1-year, $8 million free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings worth up to $13 million with incentives.

Ryan Flournoy Called ‘Secret Superstar’ in 2025

While the Cowboys went 7-9-1 in 2025 and missed the playoffs, it wasn’t because of their offense, which was arguably the NFL’s best offense in 2025.

That offense had so many weapons that it’s kind of incredible Flournoy was able to make the impact he did — in any pecking order he was behind Lamb and Pickens, tight end Jake Ferguson and running back Javonte Williams in terms of who gets the ball first. Add Tolbert in the mix, and what Flournoy accomplished is even more impressive.

“Hiding in plain sight on a dynamic Cowboys offense, Flournoy posted an 80.3 PFF overall grade as the unit’s third-highest-graded player,” PFF’s Zach Tantillo wrote. “He brought in 40 of his 42 catchable targets and led Dallas in touchdown receptions from Weeks 9 through 18.”

Circuitous Route to NFL Stardom for Ryan Flournoy

Flournoy, 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, played 6 years of college football at 3 different schools. At NCAA Division II Central Missouri, Flournoy essentially didn’t play any real football for 3 years. He redshirted in 2018, missed almost all of 2019 with a partially torn ACL, and missed the entire 2020 season due to the pandemic.

That was followed by 1 season at juco powerhouse Iowa Western and 2 seasons at FCS Southeast Missouri State, where he was a 2-time All-Ohio Valley Conference pick.

Flournoy cemented his draft status at the NFL scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.44 seconds to go with a 40-inch vertical leap, 11-foot broad jump, and 19 reps in the 225-pound bench press.