The Dallas Cowboys 2021 season will unofficially begin next week in Oxnard, California once training camp commences. Several intriguing rookies will be fighting for early playing time, such as Jabril Cox, Kelvin Joseph, and Nahshon Wright. Those are all defensive guys, but there’s one on the offensive side of the ball that created quite a buzz when he was drafted in the fifth round in April.
Former Standard wide receiver Simi Fehoko caught the eye of a lot of evaluators by clocking a 4.39 in the 40-yard dash at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds. His rare combination of size, length, and speed being added to a receiver room that has Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and CeeDee Lamb gives gives Kellen Moore another shiny toy to play with, but making the roster won’t be easy for him.
The fourth receiver spot will likely be occupied by Cedrick Wilson, whose breakout performance came against the Seattle Seahawks last season with five receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. The fifth spot is where Fehoko will have a chance to make his mark, however, another veteran will be standing in his way.
Noah Brown has been with the Cowboys since 2017. He’s virtually split his career snaps down the middle with 491 on offense (his 228 snaps last season equaled Wilson) and 461 on special teams. He had his best outing in 2020, much like Wilson, as he logged 14 receptions for 154 yards. His battle with Fehoko will be for more of a special team’s role in 2021, so he has the edge there over the rookie.
Fehoko has gotten off to a bit of a slow start as he didn’t seem to separate from defenders during OTAs according to the team’s website. However, training camp will provide a much larger body of work for him to impress the coaching staff.
The fifth-rounder knows his path to a roster won’t be easy, but he doesn’t lack confidence either.
“I’m still raw. I’m undeveloped. I really need one person to learn from,” Fehoko said after being drafted. “And I think that with my God-given abilities and gifts, there’s no reason that I can’t be the best WR in this draft class, if not the league.”
One of the best traits any young player can have is the willingness to learn and put in the necessary work it takes to perform on a high level in the NFL. That’s exactly what Fehoko is doing, which he mentioned back in May.
“All these guys are legitimate players in the NFL, sometimes arguably top five in the league,” Fehoko said. “Being able to work with them and around them is not only going to help me with my game, but I’m excited. I’m just excited to compete against them. We’re going to grow as a team and be a pretty solid wide receiver unit.”
It won’t just be Brown that Fehoko will have to battle in Oxnard. Undrafted free agents T.J. Vasher, Brennan Eagles and Brandon Smith will also be looking to secure one of the final roster spots, as will holdovers from last season such as Aaron Parker.
So, let the games begin. Fehoko has the tools to make the Cowboys roster and land a reserve role in camp. But, this won’t be in helmets and t-shirts, it’s time to get down in the dirt for real. Fehoko will have plenty of eyes on him before the season starts.
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