After suffering a season-ending injury in the second week of last year, CeeDee Lamb has been rehabbing and preparing for his return to the field. After going undrafted out of San Jose State with an impressive stat line, he spent some time on Dallas’s practice squad before finally being promoted from there.
The “cowboys receivers” is a position that the Dallas Cowboys are counting on CeeDee Lamb to be ready to assume. Lambe was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
FRISCO, Texas (KTRK) — CeeDee Lamb was given the No. 88 by the Dallas Cowboys for a reason.
They had better be correct.
Lamb, the Cowboys’ first-round selection in 2020, takes over as the clear-cut No. 1 receiver after the Cowboys agreed to sell wide out Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. The Cowboys gain $16 million in cap space by moving Cooper.
In Dallas history, the number 88 is revered. Perhaps not as cherished as No. 12 for Cowboys icon Roger Staubach or No. 8 for three-time Super Bowl champion Troy Aikman. However, with Hall of Famers Drew Pearson and Michael Irvin, as well as Dez Bryant, wearing No. 88, there is pressure on whomever wears the number to live up to the expectations.
Lamb has handled it well in his first two years. This season, though, the stakes will be higher.
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The Cowboys have utilized him as a punt returner and even as a tailback in the past.
However, there have been far too many times when Lamb has been absent.
Consider their most recent game, a wild-card defeat to the 49ers. He hauled in a 21-yard pass.
That can’t be the case anymore, whether it was due to the game plan, the focus from San Francisco, or him. In addition, he must reduce his team-leading seven drops from 2021.
Prescott failed to hit 200 yards passing per game until Cooper came in a trade from the Raiders in 2018. Allen Hurns, Deonte Thompson, Cole Beasley, and youngster Michael Gallup were his pass-catchers at the time.
Cooper altered the dynamic, but Prescott has also grown much since then. He must show he can continue to be a quality passer without Cooper, just as Lamb must show he can be a No. 1 quarterback. Since signing Prescott to a $40 million-per-year deal in March, the Cowboys have been convinced that this is the case.
And, beginning in 2022, Prescott will have a stronger supporting cast than he had in 2018, starting with Lamb.
Gallup is on the verge of signing a multiyear contract extension, which may happen as soon as next week, but he will likely begin the season on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing surgery in February to repair a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.
The Cowboys have given tight end Dalton Schultz the franchise tag, ensuring that Prescott’s safety blanket remains with the team for at least another season.
The Cowboys are expected to lose receiver Cedrick Wilson in free agency next week, but they may be able to find assistance on the veteran market or early in the draft.
Lamb, on the other hand, needs to take the next step in his growth.
It also needs to be deserving of the No. 88.
The “who is number 1 on the cowboys” is a question that has been asked by many people. The Cowboys are counting on CeeDee Lamb to be ready to assume the No. 1 receiver role in their offense this season.
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