The Cowboys are heading into Week 4 with Houston on deck, and if Dallas wants to avoid back-to-back losses that sting, the offense may need a different look Sunday. Two names stand out as players who should get more work against the Texans: Ryan Flournoy and Brevyn Spann-Ford.
Flournoy’s first three games have been almost invisible. After a productive 2025 season that raised expectations for the third-year wideout, he’s opened 2026 with just nine catches on 18 targets for 67 yards.
The splash plays haven’t been there either - he hasn’t logged a catch of 20 yards or more, and he has only one reception of 10-plus yards. Dallas hasn’t been hurt much by that quiet start, but the upside is obvious if the Cowboys can finally get him rolling.
That could be possible in Houston. If Dallas holds up against the Texans’ front, the passing game should have room to breathe against a defense that has been leaky through the air.
Houston ranks 21st in defensive dropback EPA at 0.138, 24th in NY/A at 6.7 and 26th in passing yards allowed with 716. That’s the kind of matchup where a player like Flournoy can make a real difference.
The Cowboys need to make him part of the plan.
The same goes for Spann-Ford, and maybe even more so. Jake Ferguson’s latest fumble only added to a growing problem at tight end, and that turnover was his eighth since the start of the 2024 season, tied for the third-most in the league. His touches-per-fumble rate of 18.9 is the highest among the players on that list.
The issue isn’t just the ball security. Ferguson also isn’t producing the same kind of run-after-catch damage he once did. Over his last 20 games, he’s put up a 3.2 YAC/REC rate, which means the quick throws aren’t turning into much unless he’s already wide open.
Spann-Ford has shown a better knack for creating something after the catch. Against Baltimore on Sunday, the 26-year-old delivered one of the game’s highlights with an impressive 19-yard catch-and-run.
Week by week, it’s becoming harder to ignore the idea that he may be the best tight end on the roster. Dallas should treat him that way in Houston and give him the same kind of chances Ferguson gets.
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Cowboys Face An Early Gut Check As Doubts Start Growing
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For a team trying to steady itself early in the season, this is the kind of matchup that can sharpen the conversation fast. Dallas is already managing multiple key absences on defense, and the pressure only grows when the offense does not look as comfortable as it should, making Sunday a useful early measure of where the Cowboys really are. [Read more 🡒]
Jake Ferguson Gets Pulled Into A Relationship Debate Fans Will Have Thoughts On
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For Cowboys fans, it is one more reminder that Fergusons name keeps popping up beyond the box score during the early part of the 2026 season. He has already been part of Dallas passing game with receptions and receiving yards on the board, while George Kittle has been doing his usual work for San Francisco. The football side of the story is straightforward enough, but the podcast debate gives Ferguson another moment in the spotlight for reasons that have nothing to do with routes, catches or yards. [Read more 🡒]