Of all the things that went wrong for the Cowboys in Sunday’s disheartening 34-17 loss to the Chargers, the injury that knocked out receiver Ryan Flournoy after a dangerous hit from L.A.’s linebacker Denzel Perryman was among the big concerns. Perryman hit Flournoy from behind, going helmet first and striking Flournoy in the back of his helmet.
Flournoy was already sitting on the turf when the hit happened, but lay back down once he took the contact. He left the game, and the fear was that he had a concussion–though the team later announced he left with a leg injury.
Flournoy said he saw Perryman after the game and Perryman apologized–before that, he had not known it was Perryman who hit him. The apology did not carry much weight with the NFL office, though, as Perryman got a severe two-game suspension, without pay, for the play. Perryman is appealing the ruling.
Denzel Perryman Appealing Hit on Ryan Flournoy
The appeal makes sense, because the hit will be a costly one. Perryman has a history of violating player safety protocols and that, rather than his actions against Flournoy and the Cowboys, is the reason the suspension was so severe.
According to Mike Ginnitti of Spotrac, Perryman stands to lose about $500,000: “LB Denzel Perryman’s 2-game suspension (multiple player safety violations) will cost him $268,854 in 2025 salary & per-game active bonus with the #Chargers. It will also lower his total snap percentage under 50%, costing him a $200,000 incentive.”
Cowboys Get Good Injury News
The good news for Flournoy and the Cowboys is that the knee injury, after an MRI, turned out to be not serious–he could even play in Thursday’s game against Washington.
“I was praying, and God has blessed me, in tremendous ways. We are working towards playing Thursday,” he said. “I’m not giving up on the season, so I’m looking forward to playing this Thursday, if I can. I wanna play.”
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said all the coaches were happy for Flournoy when they found out his knee was OK.
“Really worried about it,” Schottenheimer said. “It was one of those deals where they took him in, they evaluated him and they just really weren’t sure. He has had the knee—he has had that knee repaired before. We were actually in game plan meetings this morning when I got a call from Jim (Maurer, the head trainer) because he knew I wanted to know—he gave us the great news about Flo.
“I did what most people that care do—I picked up the phone and called Flo and told him I loved him and how excited I was. A bunch of guys in the room started going crazy and pounding the table.”
Ryan Flournoy a Revelation for Cowboys
Schottenheimer was not shy about his praise for Flournoy, a sixth-round pick last year who was a fringe candidate to even make the roster in 2025. Flournoy has been the ideal No. 3 wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, making 35 catches with four touchdowns and 407 yards.
“The development of that young man—he had a touchdown, gets another one called back, incredible catch, probably one of the best catches I have seen in a while,” Schottenheimer said. “And just, the way he is playing and the confidence he is playing with, he deserves all good things that are coming his way. I think he is just getting started.”
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