Young Cowboys receivers benefitting in Lamb’s absence

Lamb has been missing during OTAs and minicamp, giving an opportunity to the depth players to prove they are deserving of a bigger role. | From @BenGrimaldi

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb hasn’t attended any team workouts this offseason, and that absence extended to this week’s mandatory minicamp as he seeks a contract extension.

While it’s hard to find the positives when a player is voluntarily staying away from the team, young Cowboys receivers are making the most of the extra opportunities with Lamb missing. WRs Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, as well as rookie Ryan Flournoy, have each made positive impressions over the course of OTAs and minicamp.

With veteran WR Michael Gallup gone, the passing game has a need for a third option and these three receivers are all making a push to take on a larger role. The Cowboys’ quest to find their guy is made easier with Lamb not around. The team knows what they have in Lamb and fellow veteran Brandin Cooks, so they’re taking advantage of Lamb’s absence by giving the younger WRs more snaps. It can only help a receiver group that lacks experience behind the starting tandem.

Brooks is a second-year WR who appears to have made a nice jump in his first full offseason with the team. The young WR stood out as one of better the players from OTAs last week.

The Cowboys liked Brooks enough to keep him on the roster as a seventh-round pick last year. He played sparingly as a WR as a rookie, finding his way into seven games catching six passes for 64 yards. However, Brooks did find a role on special teams where played 45% of the special teams snaps. If he keeps turning heads, Brooks will be making more of an impact on offense during the 2024 campaign.

Tolbert’s a third-year WR, and a third-round pick, who hasn’t lived up to expectations in his first two seasons. That could be changing this year; Tolbert has talked about his renewed confidence and by working out with Cooks this offseason it looks like he’s ready to take the next step. In minicamp, Tolbert backed up his positive outlook by making plays.

The Cowboys have been waiting for Tolbert to assert himself into a viable threat in passing game, and hopefully he can build on a strong minicamp.

Flournoy also has some positive buzz coming out of the last few weeks of workouts. The rookie has some impressive traits that led to his selection in the sixth-round of last April’s draft despite playing for a small school in college, and Flournoy’s backing up his athleticism with his play.

That’s a great sign for a player who many thought needed to work on refining his game. If Flournoy is ahead of the curve, he could be a steal for the Cowboys.

The offense is obviously better with Lamb in the lineup, and with Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson’s new deal, Dallas now has a baseline to get their No. 1 WR extended and back working out with the team. But without Lamb around, the Cowboys have been busy giving the inexperienced WRs extra work, and the results are promising. Brooks, Flournoy, and Tolbert are all off to good starts this offseason, something the team must hope continues in training camp and into the regular season.

Even when Lamb returns the Cowboys are going to need a young WR or two to step up, and the early returns have shown they’ll be in capable hands.

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