Cowboys still looking for the next Cedrick Wilson at WR4
Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy, and other Dallas WR prospects hope to fill the Cedrick Wilson role in 2024
As the Cowboys build their WR depth chart for 2024, they can’t take any spot lightly. History has shown us that backup receivers can play a major role over the course of a year, and Dallas had a really good one recently in Cedrick Wilson Jr. Finding someone who can provide his level of security could be important to the upcoming season.
A sixth-round pick in 2018, Wilson missed his rookie season with a shoulder injury and then lingered for a couple of years at the bottom of the roster. His ability to also serve as a return man helped in that regard. By the end of 2020, Wilson hadn’t done enough to become a known NFL entity. But his 107-yard, two-touchdown performance in one game against the Seahawks gave the Cowboys confidence that he could be valuable going forward. He was re-signed as a restricted free agent that offseason.
Wilson rewarded Dallas with his best work yet in 2021. Michael Gallup missed half the season with injuries and Wilson had to step up into the top three, essentially a starting role in the modern NFL. Even with Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb ahead of him, Wilson finished the year with 45 catches, 602 yards, and six touchdowns. He was an efficient option for Dak Prescott, amassing those totals on just 61 targets.
That production led to Wilson’s exit from Dallas after receiving a multi-year deal from the Miami Dolphins. In the two years since, the Cowboys have yet to find a down-roster receiver who’s been able to step up in the same way. Even when Gallup was barely functional anymore as the third receiver last season, none of the younger prospects seized the opportunity.
Dallas' top three for 2024 is clear for now: CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Jalen Tolbert. We know Lamb and Cooks will be the veteran starters and the hope is Tolbert, a former third-round pick entering his third season, will finally be ready for bigger things. But even if those guys all work out, the Cowboys will remain just one injury away from needing another WR to step into a crucial role.
Thankfully, there are some intriguing options in the pipeline. Two of them are recent late-round draft picks Jalen Brooks and rookie Ryan Flournoy. Like Wilson, both arrived in obscurity but are perhaps one bad hit away from the bright Cowboys spotlight. They are the top contenders in what should be an intense battle for those final spots on the WR depth chart this summer.
There’s also KaVontae Turpin, of course, but he’s in a unique position. The return specialist has received limited offensive snaps over the last two seasons and there’s always clamor to give this explosive athlete more touches. But he’s too small for certain roles and is really more of a gadget player. Brooks and Flournoy are your more traditional WR body types who can help keep the offense running as designed.
Brooks flashed potential last year, coming out of training camp and preseason with buzz but ending up buried during the regular season. Flournoy was making noise during the recent spring camps for his athleticism and ball skills. You would hope that at least one of them will carry momentum into this season and help bolster the position.
What’s more, unlike when it was Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup in 2021, the top three for 2024 offer some opportunity for challengers. Tolbert’s draft pedigree may give him the edge now but he could squander it with a bad camp. If one of these other prospects outshines him, who’s to say Tolbert wouldn’t land lower on the depth chart? And with Cooks turning 31 in September, could a decline allow these younger players to rise by the end of the season?
Again, even if there are no issues with the top guys, injuries could force the backups into significant action. That’s how Cedrick Wilson made his bones in 2021 and could easily be why the Cowboys need Brooks, Flournoy, or some other prospect to step up this season.
We shouldn’t bet heavily on late-round prospects at any position. But the Cowboys have historically done well with late-round and even undrafted gems at receiver. Cedrick Wilson was just the most recent, but even more famously have been guys like Miles Austin, Cole Beasley, Patrick Crayton, and Noah Brown. We certainly don’t expect Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy, or others to rise to Austin’s level, but just being the next Wilson could be big for Dallas in 2024.
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