The Dallas Cowboys are officially out of playoff contention, but now, there’s more bad news for the team to wrap up the end of the season in the form of an injury to a key player.
Granted, injuries always happen, and given that the Cowboys are already out of the playoffs, it’s not the end of the world that an important player would be out with an injury. But, the team would probably still like to win their upcoming games, and injuries don’t help.
Cowboys Star Out for the Season
Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to an ongoing shoulder injury, the Cowboys announced on Thursday, December 26. That means Lamb won’t be at the last two games of the regular season for the Cowboys.
Lamb injured his shoulder back in November but kept playing through the injury. A statement from the Cowboys says that testing shows Lamb’s injury is now worse and that he will need treatment. However, Lamb won’t need surgery, according to the team, so that’s a silver lining.
The Dallas Cowboys’ statement reads, “Additional examinations and scans this week on CeeDee Lamb’s shoulder have determined that his injury has now progressed to a point that he will be listed as ‘out’ for the remaining two games of the season.”
The statement continues, noting, “He will undergo a process of treatment and rehabilitation for his shoulder, is not currently expected to require surgery and is projected to make a full recovery.”
The Cowboys and Lamb inked a four-year, $136 million extension in August, ensuring the star wide receiver would stay in Dallas with quarterback Dak Prescott for the foreseeable future.
Even playing through his injury, Lamb’s numbers have been stellar, with the player counting 1,194 yards and six touchdowns in 15 games this season.
ESPN notes that Lamb isn’t the kind of guy who’s easy to replace.
“Replacing Lamb will be difficult,” ESPN stated in a December 26 feature on the news. “Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert will be their top two wide receivers with Jonathan Mingo, Ryan Flournoy and Jalen Brooks on the 53-man roster. The Cowboys could elevate Jalen Cropper or Kelvin Harmon from the practice squad.”
“Lamb became just the third player in NFL history with 100 receptions in three of his first five seasons, joining Michael Thomas and Brandon Marshall,” ESPN added. “Only Thomas (510) has more receptions in a player’s first five seasons than Lamb’s 496.”
Micah Parsons Praises CeeDee Lamb
Also speaking on Thursday, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons sang Lamb’s praises.
“He might be the best receiver I’ve seen,” Parsons said according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. It doesn’t get much better than that compliment. Parsons added, “He’s QB-proof. I’ve seen him get 1,000 (yards) with Andy Dalton. I’ve seen him get 1,000 with Dak Prescott. I’ve seen him get 1,000 with Cooper Rush.”
He also said that, “You give grace to all these other wide receivers and say they’re not producing because they don’t have their quarterback. CeeDee has shown time and time again that he can do it with anybody throwing him the ball.”
