'Home-Run Hitters!' Cowboys Camp Preview: Lamb & Cooks & WRs
Even though they haven't played a single snap together yet, the Dallas Cowboys' receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks has fans and analysts alike excited about what it means for the offense. What do we think it will look like starting at training camp in Oxnard? Our camp preview of the O-line is here. Our preview of the secondary is here. And below ... Take a look at "Home-Run Hitters!' Cowboys Camp Preview: Lamb & Cooks & WRs'' ...
THE 'HOME-RUN HITTERS' While Lamb enters his fourth season with the Cowboys, this will be Cooks' first after being acquired from the Houston Texans in a trade this offseason - with his addition giving Dallas a top-10 receiver duo in the eyes of many.
And there is something else "cooking'' here: Cooks, now 30, remains a perennial 1,000-yards guy; In six of his nine seasons he's surpassed the 1,000-yard mark - including back-to-back times his first two years in Houston when he posted a combined 2,187 yards with 12 touchdowns.
He gets his numbers with "home runs.'' Now pair that with a budding superstar receiver like Lamb and you are cooking with gas in Dallas.
"Lamb, meanwhile, has grown as a home-run hitter every year, often single-handedly providing big-play punch to Dallas' passing offense since his arrival," CBS Sports writes. "A second straight 1,300-yard campaign wouldn't be surprising."
Lamb made his presence felt immediately as a rookie, recording 74 receptions for 935 yards and five touchdowns. Year two saw him top that with 79 receptions for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns, followed by another topping of his own bests with 107 receptions for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns in year three.
Giving Lamb a running mate of Cooks' caliber will only make his life that much easier, as he will draw coverage his way. Likewise, the attention that Lamb draws will only open up more space for Cooks to work in - and give the Cowboys one heck of a dynamic duo at receiver.
THE 'TEXAS COAST OFFENSE' .... Dak and the QB room came up with the nickname. (Yes, there are T-shirts and merchandise.) It's about along of things, a variation on the West Coast Offense. It's about Lamb ...
“I say it, I believe it, I think he can be the best receiver in this league,'' Dak said. "He’s really only scratched the surface of what he’s capable of doing. … This is just the beginning for him.”
And it's about Cooks. Said Dak: "Yeah, real speed. …For him to be able to do it every play, every route, the start of every route — the cornerbacks, defense, they don’t know what they’re getting. It all looks the same. I’m thankful he’s here.”
But it's also about Michael Gallup, a physically strong guy who can also be a footwork-ballet guy. Easy horizontal throws and run after the catch? Gallup needs to be counted among the guys who will benefit here.
MISCELLANEOUS The Cowboys are counting on Gallup as the No. 3 guy. Their belief (well, owner Jerry Jones' belief) in "the young guys'' like Jalen Tolbert is why Dallas didn't do the "no-brainer'' trade for Denzel Mims. Tolbert is the No. 4 guy, but ... Simi Fehoko is chasing him. ... If Dallas keeps six here, returner KaVontae Turpin gets a spot - even though he might not get the ball on offense. ... Seventh-round pick Jalen Brooks, Dennis Houston, Jalen Moreno-Cropper and David Durden are among the other "young guys'' in play.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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