Cowboys news: CeeDee Lamb a candidate to lead the NFL in receiving yards for 2023

PLAYMAKERS SHINE — LAMB WILL LEAD NFL IN RECEIVING YARDS IN 2022 - Shane Taylor, Inside the Star

CeeDee tops in yards for receivers? It’s within the realm of possibility.

Welp, this year Lamb now has Brandin Cooks lining up on the other side of him, not Noah Brown.

That is going to be a lovely site to see.

Lamb put up 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns last season with no other threat on the other side of the field.

He gained all the attention of the defense. Now, you line Cooks up on the other side, who could be a No. 1 wide receiver for a handful of teams.

Cooks does nothing but produce 1,000 yards, no matter where he is.

With that said Lamb could have even more yards in 2023 because less attention will be on him with Cooks on the other side.

I won’t lie to you. I think Lamb has a real chance to lead the NFL in receiving yards in 2023.

Lamb finishes with 1,762 yards and 13 touchdowns. Will that be enough to win the yards title? We will find out.

Role Call: Schoonmaker Primed for Early Impact - Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

The Cowboys newest tight end.

What’s Next: The rookie second-round pick donned a boot on his right foot throughout OTAs and to begin minicamp as he nursed plantar fasciitis, but ditched the boot on Day 2 of mandatory minicamp and focused on catch drills with tight ends coach Lunda Wells. He is expected to be fully available to start training camp as he walks into a full-blown Big Ten battle with Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot to determine who’ll truly be the successor to Dalton Schultz.

Bet You Didn’t Know: Schoonmaker didn’t begin his football career as a tight end. As a matter of fact, he was a quarterback in high school, but that’s not all. He also took handoffs out of the backfield as a halfback at times, a three-position player who produced his way to a seat on the Wolverines roster and, ultimately, the one in Dallas.

Quotable: “I think just being able to line me up in different spots, in-line and in the slot, and just being the versatile player that I am. I think I can really add a lot to that room and to the team.” - Luke Schoonmaker

2023 NFL rookie updates: Notes on 31 first-round draft picks - ESPN

What they’re saying about Mazi Smith.

26. Mazi Smith, DT, Dallas Cowboys

How he has fared so far: The Cowboys did not do any 11-on-11 work during the organized team activities or minicamp, so making any judgment on Smith is difficult because so much of what he will do is about his size (6-3, 325) and strength. But what the offseason work allowed Smith to do was learn what the coaches will want from him technically, and they have said he has picked everything up fast. He has a willing mentor in veteran Johnathan Hankins.

“You can tell on tape for a big man, [Smith] bends extremely well and obviously very strong. Everyone knows that,” All-Pro guard Zack Martin said. “He’s going to be a great addition to our team. We should have some good battles in training camp.” — Todd Archer

Longtime NFL broadcaster Troy Aikman says he missed his shot at being at GM, hints at retirement - CHantz Martin, Fox Sports

Troy Aikman talks about his broadcasting future.

Aikman retired for the NFL in 2000 and began his sports broadcasting career in 2001. He will kickoff his 22nd year in the booth this fall. During a recent appearance on Dallas radio, revealed that he has “a pretty good idea” as to when he’ll call it a career.

“I always have been [mindful] of our time being limited. … So, I posed the question to myself a lot that, you know, if you’ve got ‘X’ number of years left, what exactly do you want to do with that time?” the 56-year-old Aikman said on 1310 AM The Ticket.

Aikman is entering the second year of a multi-year contract with ESPN. He did admit that while he was planning to retire in the “near future” but he does have “an idea” on when he will step away.

“And I go a step further — does that include broadcasting, does that include living in Texas? … But yet, I am still broadcasting and I’m still living in Dallas, and I very much love the state of Texas and I love living in Dallas, but I don’t know how much longer I’ll do it. I’ve got a pretty good idea. And not to suggest that I’m retiring anytime in the near future, but I’ve got an idea as to when I believe that I’ll retire.”

Should Cowboys Re-Sign Rehabbing CB? - Jonathan Alfano. Miami Herald

Anthony Brown is still out there, but would it make any sense for the Cowboys to re-sign him?

“I’m not sure this is a huge deal, but on the topic of Anthony Brown, who has been here as long as Dak, the Cowboys did decide to give his number away. No. 3 is now worn by Brandin Cooks,” [Nick] Eatman writes. “Does that mean he can’t come back at all? No, but at some point in the last few months, the Cowboys seemed to make the decision that he wasn’t coming back. Brown is coming off an Achilles injury and so the thought that he’d be back seems unlikely – especially for that role.”

Brown previously signed a three-year deal worth $15 million with the Cowboys in 2020. At this point in free agency, he’s unlikely to get another contract worth nearly as much. Not just due to his injury, but also because his underlying numbers have been subpar lately, with a Pro Football Focus grade of just 55 last season.

Eatman also acknowledges that the door may not be fully closed on Brown’s return, as having a veteran in case of injury is “nice.’’ However, he still views it as a very unlikely scenario, especially with the Cowboys having better cornerback depth with the addition of Stephon Gilmore.

“As nice as it sounds to keep a veteran for emergency purposes, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to have a player making about $1 million just to be a fourth or fifth cornerback,” Eatman writes. “You have to hope you can develop these other young corners.”