The receiver room is taking on an interesting shape, with a veteran originally thought to be a camp body, might be far more than that.
The Dallas Cowboys receiver room is headlined by CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, but the biggest watch of training camp was going to be how the room developed behind them.
Ryan Flournoy is WR3 and has been making plays, but there is one veteran who was signed this offseason that many saw as a camp body but might actually be developing into something more.
And that's Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Likely WR4 if a game were played today, the veteran has been making plays in Oxnard, most notably with Joe Milton and Sam Howell, getting downfield and hauling in catches at a surprising rate.
But if you thought that MVS was going to be just making up the numbers in Oxnard, well, Brian Schottenheimer's words on the veteran might point to him being a legitimate option in 2026.
"MVS, the speed, the veteran, there's nothing that he hasn't seen," Schottenheimer said. "He's learning the system, he's great with the young players, he's great in the meetings, but the speed, it's the speed that jumps out. You just feel that.
"Turp's got speed, MVS has speed, not that GP, CeeDee are slow, but like you need that, you need to create horizontal layers in a defense. That's the biggest thing that jumps out at me about him."
Having moved around the league in the past couple of seasons, MVS brings his speed to the Cowboys' offense.
It is worth noting that over the last couple of seasons, MVS has been good for roughly 10 yards per reception, so he can be a chain mover, and in this offense that has Pickens and Lamb taking the defense's attention, maybe the veteran could be a useful weapon.
Of course, just because Schottenheimer speaks glowingly of MVS doesn't mean he is a lock to make the roster, but right now, you could make a case for him to be the fourth receiver behind Flournoy.
He has something you can't teach, and that's speed, and with KaVontae Turpin maybe not on offense as much in 2026, MVS could step into that sort of role and be the field-stretcher Dallas needs besides Lamb and Pickens.
Yes, it's early, but Schottenheimer really likes what he's seen from the veteran in camp.
