In case you missed it, you won’t see Brandin Cooks on the field when the Dallas Cowboys visit the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night in Week 5. The veteran is recovering from an infection in his knee, his injury pushing young receivers like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin and rookie sixth-round pick Ryan Flournoy into the limelight.
What they will or will not do with the opportunity is to-be-determined, but they’ve all shown promise in varying ways that they’ll need to turn up to max levels, and CeeDee Lamb believes they will.
“We’ve gotta go out there and play for him and get the dub,” said the First-Team All-Pro receiver of not having Cooks in Pittsburgh this weekend. “Unfortunately, we lost a brother this week and who knows how long he’s going to be out. It’s time for [the young WRs] to step up, and I’m happy for them.
“I can’t wait for them to go out there and showcase their abilities.”
Of the aforementioned group of youths, Flournoy is one who has yet to make his NFL debut, and after having a glimmering training camp and preseason, Lamb has no concerns about his inexperience.
“He’s definitely [made an impression],” he said of Flournoy. “His week-in, and week-out battles, he’s able to win his one-on-ones. He’s very strong at the point of attack, and I can’t wait to see him out there on Sunday.”
As for the person who’ll be throwing them the ball, the sentiment is the same, but a bit more layered because of the career arc of Dak Prescott.
The All-Pro quarterback was once a rookie fourth-round pick, and a compensatory pick, no less, who began training camp behind Tony Romo, Kellen Moore and Jameill Showers, quickly ascending beyond the latter two and, due to an injury to Romo in the infamous preseason matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at the hands of Cliff Avril, was named starter in 2016.
All he did afterwards was win a record-setting 11 games in a row and, spoiler alert, a new era was ushered in as Romo was never able to recover his job as franchise quarterback.
And, prior to that, he went from being a redshirt freshman at Mississippi State to a record-setting quarterback for the university, eventually taking over the role when starting quarterback Tyler Russell went down with a concussion — never relinquishing the job thereafter.
That said, Prescott knows a little something about taking opportunities by horns.
“It’s an opportunity to show the depth of this team, and what we’re made of,” said the three-time Pro Bowler and 2022 Walter Payton Man of the Year. “Young guys, as we talk about, you were going to have to count on them late in the year — we’ve got to count on them now. That’s the NFL.
“I mean, honestly it’s how I got my job. It’s how a lot of people have stepped in and gotten the job. Tyler Smith, right? When your number’s called, jump in, show that you belong here, show that you can prepare the right way, and make the most of your opportunity.”
There will be no shortage of it for the young WR corps in the absence of Cooks, and they’ll simply need to take the field and do exactly that:
Cook.