Going with the Flo

By: Josh Frey-Sam

Barring a surprise turn of events, George Pickens won’t be a Dallas Cowboy after this season.

Earlier this off-season, the Cowboys franchise-tagged their star receiver, and Pickens accepted by signing a one-year, $27.3 million fully-guaranteed pact to keep him in Big D for 2026.

But with Pickens not showing up for voluntary OTAs and being a question mark to report for mandatory minicamp this week, it’s becoming clearer that his future beyond this season is in a different uniform.

Looking ahead to 2027, the Cowboys will need a trusted No. 2 to play opposite CeeDee Lamb. That could come in the form of a high draft pick or free agent signing, but there’s reason to think that Pickens’ successor could already be in the building.

Personally, I’m betting that Ryan Flournoy is that guy.

The 26-year-old of Southeast Missouri State has been one of the biggest winners of the offseason workouts, thus far, showing that Jerry Jones may have selected a lottery ticket in the sixth round of the 2024 draft.

With Pickens absent last week, Flo practised alongside Lamb, Dak Prescott and the other starters, and looked every bit of a guy who is budding toward a breakout in 2026 and being a key piece of the Cowboys’ passing attack for years to come.

You don’t have to take my word for it. When asked about the third-year pro, head coach Brian Schottemheimer said Flo “is really taking the next step” this off-season, while Prescott offered up a longer, candid thought that should get fantasy owners excited.

“He’s becoming a big-time guy,” Prescott said. “I think it’s been beneficial for him, one, having the year that he had, but then getting into this off-season and not having GP (George Pickens) here. There’s even been days where CeeDee’s not (practising) — he’s the one guy, in a sense.

“For him to get in there and take those reps and be in the primary role and show up every single day with the right energy, making plays out there, becoming a leader, becoming a vocal guy, I expect big things from him. But that’s just who Flo is.”

Let’s pull at this thread.

The 6-1, 205-pounder was kind of buried on the depth chart last season. He split time with Jalen Tolbert and Kavonte Turpin as the Cowboys’ No. 3/ No. 4 options and, as you can probably guess, didn’t put up the most eye-popping numbers — 40 grabs for 475 yards and four touchdowns.

However, while most of that production came in two games, Flo did flash when given the opportunity.

His coming-out party came with Lamb sidlined in Week 5 against the Jets when he had six grabs for 114 yards. He had another day in a Week 14 track meet against the Lions — this time with Lamb and Pickens both healthy — that saw him reel in nine catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Because his snap share fluctuated so much, Flo had to be efficient with his chances, and for the most part, he was.

His 0.44 fantasy points per route run ranked 25th among all WRs who ran at least 100 routes last season. That’s better than Tet McMillan and Tee Higgins (0.41), Mike Evans (0.40), Emeka Egbuka (0.39) and Rome Odunze (0.38), among other big names.

What could lead him to more consistent playing time is if the Cowboys do what they do best and go 11 personnel (their top three WRs on the field at the same time).

And there’s reason to suggest Schottenheimer will do that.

Dallas led the NFL in expected points average on 11 personnel snaps last season, and ran that set on 66.43 per cent of their snaps.

If Flo has taken the step that is being conveyed by Schotty and Prescott, it would make sense for the Cowboys to put three of their best weapons on the field together regularly.

It also wouldn’t be a shock to see him used in more two-receiver sets this season, as he’s a much better run-blocker than Lamb and a more willing run-blocker than Pickens.

Where it really gets interesting for this season — and you never want to wish for someone to get injured — is if Lamb or Pickens were to miss time. He’s already shown that he can step up to be the guy if needed.

The 26-year-old is a late bloomer, but there’s no denying that he’s a breakout candidate in 2026.

I think you should be stashing him, and you can likely get him for free on your waiver wire right now. I did, dropping Tank Dell in the process.

While I’m not necessarily expecting Flournoy to be an every-week start in 2026, he has a prime opportunity to show he deserves to be that guy in 2027.

Thanks for reading and, as always, have a great day.

Josh