The Dallas Cowboys have counted on the growth of some of their younger pass catchers this season in Mike McCarthy's offense, but they have not shown much progression regardless of Dak Prescott's presence in the lineup.
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FRISCO — The Dallas Cowboys offense has struggled immensely to find any consistency this season or establish a true sense of identity. Dallas had the No. 1 scoring offense in the league a season ago, but now climbs mountains every week just in hope of reaching 20 points.
The run game has taken the brunt of the criticisms and deservedly so, tallying marks that floundered to the bottom of the league's totals. But Dallas' inability to consistently move the ball through air has also played a part in their demise.
Now injuries are worth a great deal in the context here. Dak Prescott's exit from the lineup after Week 9 proved an obviously significant detriment though the issues go deeper than quarterback play or pass protection.
The Cowboys' receivers have not stepped up in Prescott's absence. CeeDee Lamb has continued to shine and will eclipse 1,000 yards yet again. Brandin Cooks is just now getting back into routine after missing half of the season with a knee injury.
The issues lie deeper down the depth chart where the younger receivers have not been given a chance to make an impact.
KaVontae Turpin, the team's speedy gadget receiver best utilized on special teams, has made the biggest impact since Prescott's injury with 163 yards and a touchdown in that span.
But otherwise? No. 3 receiver Jalen Tolbert finished Monday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals with zero receptions on three targets. He has 93 yards and a touchdown in five games without Prescott.
Jalen Brooks has only 10 catches on 28 targets and Jonathan Mingo has yet to prove Dallas right for traded a fourth-round pick to get him.
Again, the loss of Prescott is understandable for some of this lackluster production. But there have still been opportunities for these players and none have separated themselves in these games. and/or, none have been given the chance to do so.
At 5-8 and with a 1-percent chance of making the playoffs, what exactly is the point now of giving snaps to Cooks (who next year is a free agent in his age-32 season) instead of, say, rookie Ryan Flournoy, who is under contract here for four seasons?
And guess how many offensive snaps Flournoy - touted at camp as "the next Dez Bryant'' - got against the Bengals? One. One snap.
More likely than not, the Cowboys will finish the season at the bottom of the standings and own a very lucrative first-round pick. They will have options aplenty with that selection and this year, analysts are projecting a strong wide receiver class.
That makes these final four games of even greater importance for this bunch. If the Cowboys do not see the right fits within the depths of this receiving corps, the next best option could fall into their laps in late April. But it's hard to evaluated these guys when they don't get to be featured.
