Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones challenged wide receiver CeeDee Lamb to make plays after a disappointing Week 1.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is clearly disappointed in wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s performance after Week 1. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Jones said of Lamb on 105.3 The FAN, “You got to play through being covered. You got to catch balls covered. You say, ‘Well, that’s a trite things to say,’ but you can’t just because they doubled you up, not make some plays.”
Lamb, who made his NFL debut in 2020 with the Cowboys and has played with them since, only caught two passes for 29 yards in his season debut. He needs to step up with injured star quarterback Dak Prescott out, and Jones wasn’t afraid to make that known.
The Cowboys also traded receiver Amari Cooper away to the Cleveland Browns this offseason which should ostensibly give Lamb more opportunity.
Lamb has done much better in his previous two season openers, so he has potential. As the first-round pick of the draft in 2020, it’s fair for Jones to expect more of him.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones should expect more of WR CeeDee Lamb
According to OU Daily, Lamb had “become one of the best wide receivers in college football, catching 111 passes for 1,965 yards and 18 touchdowns in just two seasons.” He caught from two Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks, Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, during college and quickly had a great impact.
Over his first NFL season, he had just as much of an impact with a season-ending in 74 receptions for 935 yards and five touchdowns. He had the second-most receiving yards among rookies that year, behind Minnesota Vikings quarterback Justin Jefferson who had 1,400 yards.
Last season, Lamb did slightly better and had 79 receptions for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns. He led the team in receptions and made his first Pro Bowl team, replacing Cooper Kupp. His impact in the NFL certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed, and it’s completely fair for Jones to expect more out of him after a disappointing season opener.