Do you think CeeDee Lamb being gone throughout training camp is forcing Dak Prescott to gain more confidence and trust in the other receivers? And in turn, could that lead to a more balanced offense? – Randy Buchanan/McCordsville, IN
Nick Eatman: I think for one reason or another, there could be some benefits that come out of this holdout. I think it happened last year when Zack Martin held out - and when they needed Brock Hoffman and/or T.J. Bass to play, they were ready because of the reps they got in camp. So the Cowboys can only hope that Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks are going to benefit from the reps. It does appear as if KaVontae Turpin looks better as a receiver. But as for Dak's trust, I think he's always had that in the young guys. What we haven't seen yet is someone from that next group take a step up. Tyron Billy-Johnson was doing it early but hasn't done much in the games. Ryan Flournoy looks to take that leap but he's not really getting a ton of reps with Dak. Where I do think Dak is gaining even more trust is with Brandin Cooks. They connected better later in the season but this year, it seems like they've had some great chemistry.
Kurt: Head coach Mike McCarthy has said from the get-go that Lamb's absence provides more opportunities for those further down the depth chart, and that it's up to them to take advantage of the additional reps. The more others like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Cropper, Kelvin Harmon, heck, even Brandin Cooks can work with Prescott, the more trust they can build with the quarterback. That's a positive for each player individually and the team overall. Still, as far as spreading passes around, will we see a more balanced aerial attack once Lamb returns? I doubt it. Dallas has one of the best wideouts in the game right now in Lamb, as he accounted for 37.5 percent of the Cowboys' receiving yards last season and 33.3 percent of the touchdown catches for an offense that ranked third and first in the NFL, respectively, in those categories. So I think we'll see Lamb again dominate Prescott's targets in 2024 with a combination of Cooks and tight end Jake Ferguson a distant second and third. Those three saw 60 percent of the targets in 2023 with the remaining 40 percent split up among 11 players. And that's the way it should be. You want the ball in your top playmakers' hands, and that means feeding it to Lamb. Expect more of the same.
