After catching only two of his 11 targets, Lamb rushed for 29 yards in the Cowboys’ season-opening loss to the Buccaneers. Stephen Jones, Cowboys vice-president, stated that Lamb’s performance was not impressive and that the Cowboys’ WR1 needs to improve.
“We’ve got to be better there,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan, via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “CeeDee (Lamb) has got to improve and work his way into being the No. 1 receiver. We think we can.”
Dallas traded Amari Cooper to Cleveland, making Lamb the new team’s top receiver. Analysts and fans alike are praising the Cowboys’ offseason moves. They also traded away Amari Cooper to the Browns, which was a move that saw them score three points in Week 1.
“The problem isn’t in the Cowboys dumping Amari Cooper. (For reasons we’ve explained in depth),” Sports Illustrated’s Mike Fisher said on Twitter. “The problem is that in their hype-bloated arrogance, they figured they’d replace him with rookie UDFAs.”
The Cowboys must improve their wide receiver position, not just Lamb. Rookie JalenTolbert was projected to be a starter heading into training camp, but his inconsistent preseason made him a healthy scratch. Dallas chose to activate Dennis Houston, an undrafted rookie, over Tolbert. This is a poor sign for the Cowboys’ slow progress with their third-round pick.
On September 11, Michael Gehlken, Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken, tweeted .
Both Lamb and the Cowboys stressed that No. 88 was ready to take over as the team’s top receiver. Lamb mentioned “self-inflicted injuries” as one contributing factor to Cowboys’ disappointing Week 1 performance.
Lamb stated that there were plays in which we had momentum and others where we would lose it due to self-inflicted wounds. We had flags, sure, but it’s gotta get better.
ESPN’s Todd Archer reported Dak Prescott will miss six to eight more weeks while he recovers after a hand surgery. Prescott tried to remain optimistic despite the disappointing opening of the Cowboys season.
Prescott said to reporters that “Yeah it’s very disappointing, but injuries happen.” It’s not something you can control, but it is unfortunate. It’s inevitable that I will be absent from work for some time. That hurts me more than anything. This is especially true after the announcement that was made. I wanted to be able respond, but not necessarily being able to for several weeks.
“Yeah, it’s unfortunate, but I’ll do what I’ve always done any time adversity comes. Take it on head first, and I’ll give my best, and I’m sure I’ll come out of this thing better.”