Following Dallas’ Week 5 loss to the 49ers, a lot was made of CeeDee Lamb’s usage within the Cowboys offense.
Lamb was visibly frustrated against San Francisco, and head coach Mike McCarthy acknowledged that Lamb was “pissed” after the game. Cowboys Owner and GM Jerry Jones told 105.3 The Fan that Lamb was upset due to his lack of touches, but that didn’t necessarily bother Jones, who advocated for even ball distribution among the offensive targets.
Ahead of the Cowboys’ 20-17 victory over the Chargers, Lamb told the media that he recognized that he may have handled things poorly.
“Obviously I had time to self-reflect,” Lamb said. “I didn't go the best route to get my end result. But at the end of the day, I do have a job to do. And I want to contribute to this team, so I do everything in my power week in and week out to do that. Going forward, there's a better way to go about it."
For his part, Lamb responded in a big way against the Chargers, catching all 7 of his targets for 117 yards.
But is Lamb right to be frustrated about a decline in targets? Let’s take a look at how Dak Prescott has performed this season, sorted by target:
105.3 The Fan
The statistics line-up with what just about every fan probably sees with their eyes: The offense is at its best when CeeDee Lamb gets the ball.
What’s perhaps a little surprising is how much Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup have struggled to get a consistent connection going with Dak Prescott. Among players averaging at least one target per game, Dak’s passer rating is significantly lower when throwing the ball to Cooks and Gallup.
Jerry Jones has said in recent weeks that he’d like to see Cooks more involved, and he had some big catches against the Chargers in Week 6, so there is some hope that things will begin to turn around in that department.
But what about Gallup?
Gallup and Prescott haven’t been able to get on the same page since Gallup’s season-ending knee injury in 2021. Jerry Jones acknowledged to 105.3 The Fan this week that there have been difficulties, but that he expects things to turn around for Gallup.
If things don’t improve, it may mean more opportunities for last year’s third round pick Jalen Tolbert.
