Cowboys WR Deonte Thompson making presence known in early portion of training camp

The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver unit has been the talk of the town for the majority of the offseason. Whether it was the signing of Allen Hurns, the release of Dez Bryant, or the arrest of Terrance Williams, Cowboys receivers have been in the news since the end of the 2017 season.

One Cowboy who hasn’t been in the news and is somehow slipping through the cracks is free agent signee Deonte Thompson. Thompson signed with the Dallas Cowboys back in March to a one-year deal. Thompson, who spent time with both the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears in 2017, is looking to find a home in Dallas. Thompson walked into a perfect situation for a veteran receiver who has struggled to stick with a team for more than a season. Over his six-year career in the NFL, Thompson has hauled in 77 balls for 1,032 yards, and four touchdowns. The career numbers for Deonte Thompson aren’t all that impressive, but so far in training camp, he has been.

Entering camp, all the talk was about Allen Hurns, Cole Beasley, Michael Gallup, and Terrance Williams, Deonte Thompson was seemingly an afterthought, but according to Bryan Broaddus of the Mothership, Thompson may be a guy we need to pay attention to.

At the start of training camp, many thought Thompson was a long shot to even make the roster due to the plethora of bodies at the wide receiver position. If Thompson continues to shine in training camp, he may be less of just a body, and more of a weapon for Dak Prescott.

Thompson performs well here while working against third-year cornerback Anthony Brown. Thompson does a nice job of sinking his hips and creating separation at the top of his route, out of his break. Brown continues to head up field, due to Thompson’s ability to sell the vertical route. Thompson may do most of his damage down the field, but it looks like he has been working on his route running a lot this offseason with Sanjay Lal. Thompson brings a speed element to the room, something the Cowboys have lacked for some time. If he can continue to improve on his route running, as well as being a vertical threat, the Cowboys may have found a diamond in the rough in free agency.

We are only in the second week of training camp, but from the sights and sounds of practice, Dak Prescott has looked Deonte Thompson’s way a ton so far. He will need to continue to keep that up in order to reserve himself a roster spot, but he’s certainly off to a fantastic start.