In terms of personnel, Cowboys fans are well aware of the challenges the team has faced in the past seven months, including the departure of key free agents without much effort to adequately replace them.
While Jerry Jones may not want to dwell on past moves, Cowboys legend Troy Aikman offered a more candid take on the state of the team, which currently sits at a messy 3-3.
Despite the offseason changes, Aikman made it clear on Thursday that the Cowboys’ issues go beyond the players who have left. He pointed out significant concerns with those still on the roster.
Speaking on Dallas sports radio station 96.7 The Ticket, Aikman focused his criticism on a unit that was expected to perform better: the wide receivers.
He began with star receiver CeeDee Lamb, who signed a four-year, $136 million contract after missing much of training camp and the preseason. So far, Lamb has underperformed this season.
“I think the routes are terrible. They run terrible routes,” Aikman said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). “I’ve thought that for a while now, not just this year. CeeDee (Lamb) needs to improve his route running. As a quarterback, if you can’t trust where your receivers will be consistently, it’s hard to do your job. That’s what I’m seeing.”
CeeDee Lamb Not the Only WR to Blame
Aikman’s criticism didn’t stop with Lamb. Cowboys’ No. 2 receiver, Brandin Cooks, has missed two games due to a knee infection that will sideline him for four games in total. While his absence has been felt, Aikman said the problems run deeper than Cooks.
“I see guys being lazy off the line of scrimmage. They only run hard when they think the ball’s coming their way. If they don’t expect the ball, they don’t run as hard. It all connects. I’m not impressed,” Aikman continued.
Lamb has become the primary focus due to his standout performance last year, where he led the league and set a franchise record with 135 catches for 1,749 yards. However, his production has dipped this year, with his yards per game dropping from 102.9 to 77.8 and a catch rate of just 58.2%.
The Cowboys’ No. 3 receiver, Jalen Tolbert, has shown promise with 24 catches for 290 yards and a 70.6% catch rate, but the rest of the options, including Kavontae Turpin and Jalen Brooks, remain inexperienced.
Dak Prescott Struggling with Mediocre Numbers
Aikman’s assessment of the receivers came in defense of quarterback Dak Prescott, who recently secured a $240 million, four-year contract. But Prescott’s performance has suffered, with the Cowboys relying on two rookies on the offensive line and receivers failing to execute. So far, Prescott has thrown for only eight touchdowns and six interceptions.
His quarterback rating of 85.5 is the worst of his career.
“It’s tough to play quarterback if you’re unsure how your receivers will run their routes or where they’ll be,” Aikman said. “I’m not speaking for Dak (Prescott); he might think the routes are fine. But from my perspective as a former quarterback, it needs to improve significantly.”
