FRISCO — The eyes are said to be the window of the soul. Or, in the case of Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy, his eyes — witnessed by local trainer Ronnie “Real Truth” Braxton — were the window to his potential.
“When you’ve been doing this as long as I’ve been, and you’re looking for special,” Braxton said, “it’s in the eyes, man.”
Under the circumstances, Braxton wasn’t expecting what he saw in Flournoy’s eyes the first time they met. He’s asked many NFL players and NFL hopefuls to work out with him at 4:30 in the morning. Many, quickly, are either asking why they have to be up so early, or if they could move it later. Flournoy, to Braxton’s surprise, did neither.
“He didn’t blink,” Braxton said.
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Which helps explain why Flournoy hasn’t blinked when called upon this year.
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Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Flournoy (19) points to the sky after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, Monday, Nov. 17, 2025, in Las Vegas. The Cowboys defeated the Raiders 33-16.
Elías Valverde II / Staff Photographer
There were many candidates on the Cowboys this season to be the team’s No. 3 wide receiver behind standouts CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. Flournoy, despite not being among the likeliest at the beginning of the year, has earned that designation. He’s been someone the Cowboys can confidently rely upon, as they did in last Thursday’s 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions. Flournoy thrived after Lamb left the game with an injury, finishing with a team-high nine catches for 115 yards and a touchdown.
“You never have to worry about Flo,” Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said about Flournoy’s performance against the Lions. “He’s always ready.”
Being ready, Flournoy will tell you, isn’t born in the moment. Preparation and work put in over time, he said, allowed him to step in when called upon.
Flournoy’s story will also tell you that he’s always had the willingness to work. As a high school freshman in Illinois, he was 5-3 and 99 pounds — a far cry from being the 6-1, 200-pound athlete he is today. He flew under the radar as a high school recruit, too. His college path to the NFL wasn’t one walked by many. He started at Division II Central Missouri and then transferred to Iowa Western Community College before he finished his college career at Southeast Missouri State, an FCS program. The Cowboys saw someone with physical abilities that translate to the NFL game, so they selected him in the sixth round of last year’s draft.
“You talk about a guy that’s big, strong, physical, good with the ball in his hands, loves contact. Guys like that? Sign me up for them,” Schottenheimer said, speaking about Flournoy’s ability. “I’ll take them every week.”
Flournoy not only had the physical ability, but also the work ethic that teams crave. His inspiration is Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. Like Rice, Flournoy wanted to show that he had a unique work ethic.
The problem: Flournoy needed some direction. Many receivers in today’s world will get football-specific trainers in high school. By the time they get to college, route running and footwork are second-nature.
Flournoy, shockingly, never had a football-specific trainer until this off-season when he started working with Braxton. Former Cowboys receiver Kelvin Harmon invited him. Flournoy didn’t know what to expect, so when Braxton told him to arrive at their facility in Allen at 4:30 in the morning, Flournoy didn’t hesitate. He arrived at 4:15, even.
“I was like, alright, that’s what we’re doing? Let’s do it,” Flournoy recalled.
“And he was already up there. We probably caught a thousand balls.”
Flournoy is not being hyperbolic, either. A normal day with Braxton would feature hours of catching passes. Braxton would have Flournoy catch passes while he rolled on the ground, catch them over contested defenders, catch them while leaping in a crowd. Sometimes, Braxton said he would throw tennis balls at Flournoy for 30 minutes straight.
Once again, Braxton didn’t see Flournoy blink.
Braxton’s methods were unique, but Flournoy says they’ve been effective. Perhaps the biggest change has been in Flournoy’s route running. Braxton said a lot of recently drafted players have to have a transition. They trained for so long to be good at the NFL Combine, including benching and running 40-yard dashes, that they have to retrain their body to be conducive to football success.
“Every football player that comes out of the Combine is unbalanced,” Braxton said.
So Braxton worked on getting Flournoy re-balanced. They’d work out barefoot often so Flournoy could get a better feel for how his body should move in route running. He wanted Flournoy to be asymmetrical in his movements, which meant concentrating on everything from the way Flournoy’s arms swing when he runs, to the way his hips move, to even the way his big toe operates.
“He didn’t know how to use his big toe,” Braxton said. “And most humans don’t.”
Flournoy has felt the difference from a route-running perspective this season. His coaches noticed, too.
“If you watch him pre-practice, post-practice working on how to create separation at the top of the route, speed turns, tight turns, burst and turns, all those different things, I think that’s where you’re seeing him create more and more separation,” Schottenheimer said. “And it’s through hard work. Really is.”
Flournoy was also committed this offseason to building a relationship with Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. Any time Prescott texted him asking to throw, Flournoy would be there. The one exception was when he was in Arizona to celebrate his anniversary with his wife. Flournoy couldn’t make that throwing session, but he went straight to a different throwing session with Prescott when he landed.
Despite all the hard work, Flournoy still faced an uphill climb to the roster. Flournoy, it appeared, initially made the roster. He was even on his way to celebrate making the 53-man roster when he got a call from the Cowboys. They waived Flournoy to make room for offensive lineman Trevor Keegan, whom they claimed from Philadelphia.
Schottenheimer said there was a lot of anxiety on their part, wondering if another team would claim Flournoy. Schottenheimer also remembers how Flournoy responded to the news: with maturity and with motivation.
“Honestly, I didn’t blink,” Flournoy said. “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. But honestly I knew whatever he had for me, it was for me. Turns out, it happened.”
And now, Flournoy is turning potential, into production.
“I think his star is on the rise,” Schottenheimer said.
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