Cowboys Camp: CeeDee Lamb Leads Youth Movement To Fill WR Voids
OXNARD, Calif. - As thousands of rowdy Dallas Cowboys fans gather at training camp in California, many eyes fall on CeeDee Lamb, his mega-watt smile and his bend-over-backwards catches that could put a ballerina on notice. Expectations are high for Lamb in his third NFL season after Amari Cooper’s exit ... As is the faith permeating from the Cowboys in Lamb's abilities.
"The biggest thing with CeeDee is he's getting more opportunities," Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said during Tuesday's camp-opening presser here in Oxnard. "The flexibility of opportunities is what we will need as an offense because of the way the defense will focus on him."
Added McCarthy: "I think he's had a very nice path to this point when you look at his production last year so he's definitely ready. When you talk about the flanker position in this offense, that is the premiere No. 1 spot for a receiver."
Since the clock struck zero in the Cowboys' Wild Card Playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott have made some changes. Prescott requested Lamb's locker to be moved next to his to build deeper chemistry. The two went to Miami, along with tight ends Sean McKeon and Dalton Schultz, rookie receiver Jalen Tolbert and running back Ezekiel Elliot. The trip was "60 percent football and 40 percent bonding,'' as Prescott told CowboysSI.com.
Lamb has been anointed into "The 88 Club'' by predecessors Drew Pearson and Michael Irvin and Dez Bryant but looks to solidify himself after a lackluster back half of the 2021 season. Lamb led the Cowboys in targets, receptions and receiving yards last year but a more consistent Lamb is necessary as his targets are sure to increase.
In his first two NFL seasons, Lamb has 153 catches for 2,037 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2021, was named to the Pro Bowl in 2021 (as an alternate) after a solid season of 79 receptions for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns.
Who will be Lamb's running mate? Dallas has uncertainty at receiver beyond Lamb. Michael Gallup, the No. 2 wideout on the roster, is expected to miss time to start the season due to ACL surgery in February.
"I'm extremely comfortable," said McCarthy of Dallas' depth at receiver. "There is always going to be a void of experience and your youth has to step up and contribute. I have great confidence in that."
"Our players are in the right mindset. These guys spend a tremendous amount of time together, away from the facility. The youth of our football team will factor early in our season, probably at the wide receiver position."
Dallas' third-round NFL Draft selection Jalen Tolbert is a productive player from South Alabama who could make an immediate impact. Tolbert and Prescott built rapport in training camp and in Miami. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver picked up football in high school and utilizes his experience as a baseball player to help track the ball.
Another new face to the Cowboys is ex-Steelers receiver James Washington, who Dallas signed in free agency. Washington was selected 21 spots before Gallup in the 2018 NFL Draft. While he never became a full-time starter in Pittsburgh, Washington is only 25-years-old and on a 'prove-it' one-year deal in Dallas. In four years with Pittsburgh, Washington totaled 1,629 career receiving yards, highlighted by a 44-catch, 735-yard effort in 2019.
Tolbert and Washington seem to be the favorites to climb the depth chart. In theory, young receivers T.J. Vasher and Semi Fehoko could also steal the show. Noah Brown, drafted in 2017, is now the longest-tenured wide receiver on the Cowboys roster. With Brown's experience and solid blocking ability, he should not be overlooked.
Which receiver will join Lamb and Gallup in attempt to push the league's leading scoring offense to new heights? We begin to find answers this week here in Oxnard.
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