The Dallas Cowboys won their second game of the season in Week 5 by handling the New York Jets 37-22 on the road. But a few players won much more.
Filling in for injured starters, three players stood out as potential future starters with standout performances. From the team’s leading receiver for the week to a former seventh-round draft pick, and a rookie, let’s dive in.
WR Ryan Flournoy
Leading up to the game, all eyes were on Jalen Tolbert to have a big game. He was considered the team’s co-WR3 alongside KaVontae Turpin and behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens. With Lamb and Turpin out, people were wondering what Tolbert could do as the de-facto WR2. The reality, however, is he was overshadowed by Ryan Flournoy.
Flournoy—who didn’t even start the season on the 53-man roster—led the Cowboys with 114 receiving yards and six catches. Not only did he get open for Dak Prescott, but 47 of his receiving yards came after the catch. On top of it all, he added a ten-yard gain running the football.
Pro Football Focus initially graded him as the best player on the Cowboys. I don’t know if he was truly the best player out there but I do know this: He’s the third-best receiver on the team behind Lamb and Pickens. It’s time to treat him as such.
Ryan Flournoy with another big gain for Dallas
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— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
OT Nate Thomas
This is a tricky one. Tyler Guyton and Terence Steele have good arguments to start but the Cowboys’ backup left tackle has handled business stepping in over the last couple of weeks. Last week, he took care of Micah Parsons (one-on-one more than once) and the Green Bay Packers’ pass rush. This time, he was a big reason why Prescott was kept clean in the pocket. The quarterback praised his young teammate postgame.
“You got a young Nate Thomas coming up to me after the game saying that he can do better and he will do better,” Prescott told reporters. “And it’s like, ‘dude, I know you will.’ That’s as rewarding as this win is, because you’ve got guys who care about this as much as you do and want to be their best every single play.”
Thomas also shined in the run game, having key blocks in Javonte Williams’ 66-yard run and in other run plays. While the All-22 review will say more about the state of the Cowboys’ tackle position, it’s more than clear Thomas should be in a spot to compete to start, be it at left or right tackle.
Javonte Williams breaks free for 66 yards!
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— NFL (@NFL) October 5, 2025
LB Shemar James
A fifth-round rookie, James is far from perfect but he did lead the team with 15 tackles, taking on a bigger role than expected following Jack Sanborn’s injury. Specifically, James stood out by flying all over the field, showing off the explosive range that made him a draft pick in the first place. Eight of his tackles were solo.
Though James is still a raw player, the truth is the Cowboys linebackers haven’t been good enough to keep him at bay. Marist Liufau got a start on today’s game and James might have a case for more playing time himself. What is clear is Matt Eberflus needs to keep looking for answers at this position.
