Cowboys' final wide receiver spot comes down to five names fighting for one job

A lot of the discourse stemming from Dallas Cowboys training camp will revolve around the running back position, and rightfully so, but the battle at wide receiver should not be discounted.

It is admittedly easy to gloss over WR since most of the spots are already set in stone. Barring a shocking turn of events, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin and Jonathan Mingo will make up the first five spots.

Before you ask, yes, Mingo should be a roster lock. The Cowboys gave up a fourth-round pick for Mingo at last year's trade deadline.

If that is the case, and assuming six wideouts are kept, we could be talking about as many as five hopefuls fighting for one job: Jalen Brooks, Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Cropper, Parris Campbell, and Kelvin Harmon.

Cowboys could be forced to cut a lot of promising WRs this preseason

Drafted in 2019, Campbell has the most experience of that group, but he is now three years removed from a breakout year with the Colts when he caught 63 passes for 629 yards and three touchdowns. He's managed just 134 receiving yards the last two seasons with the Giants and Eagles.

The Cowboys love to develop their young players so Campbell would need a special camp and preseason to make the 53-man roster. Still, his experience shouldn't be ignored.

Brooks and Flournoy should be the "favorites" given they both made the team last year. Dallas invested draft picks in both of them, too. Their production was eerily similar in 2024, so there seemingly isn't much separating them entering camp.

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While Brooks is more of a downfield threat, Flournoy's size makes him unique to the other WRs on the roster. Whether Flournoy plays to his size and overwhelms Dallas' smaller cornerbacks is a storyline to watch in Oxnard. If he does, he'll be in pole position to make the team.

That brings us to Cropper and Harmon, the former of whom was back stealing the show during offseason workouts. That has been a common theme the last few years. However, Cropper has struggled to carry that momentum into the preseason. If he puts it all together, he could find himself on the 53-man roster when all is said and done.

Harmon probably has the longest odds of the group. He last played an NFL snap in 2019 and has bounced around various practice squads since then. For what it's worth, the 28-year-old had a lot of impressive reps in camp last year. Fans should expect more of the same this summer.

Other positions have more clarity than WR, but five players fighting for one spot? That will be fascinating to watch unfold.