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The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver group was extremely mediocre in 2023.
Yes, CeeDee Lamb showed that he’s one of the league’s top players at the position. But beyond Lamb, the position group was a disaster. Newly acquired Brandin Cooks looked like a shell of himself. Michael Gallup was so bad that he couldn’t even find a team this season after getting released. Rookie Jalen Tolbert was virtually unplayable, and then Dallas rotated players off the scrap heap at WR4.
The Cowboys did nothing to upgrade the position entering the 2024 season. So unsurprisingly, it’s still a disaster. And former Dallas legend Troy Aikman is absolutely disgusted.
Former Cowboys QB Troy Aikman on @dfwticket on Dallas’ wide receivers: “I think the routes are terrible. I think they run terrible routes. And I’ve thought that beyond this year. I think CeeDee (Lamb) has got to improve in his route running. As a quarterback, if you’re not…
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) October 17, 2024
Troy Aikman Calls Out Dallas Cowboys Wide Receivers Over Route Running
Even Lamb wasn’t spared in Aikman’s fiery rant on local radio station 96.7 The Ticket.
“I think the routes are terrible. I think they run terrible routes. And I’ve thought that beyond this year. I think CeeDee (Lamb) has got to improve in his route running.
“As a quarterback, if you’re not certain where guys are going to be consistently, it’s hard to play the position. That’s what I see. I see guys lazy coming off the line of scrimmage. Sometimes they run, usually if they do, it’s because they’re anticipating they’re going to get the football on that play, but if they’re not, they don’t. And it all ties together. I’m not impressed with that part of it.”
Aikman then compared the Cowboys to some of the league’s best teams.
“I just finished watching the Baltimore Ravens because I have them this week. You put on film of theirs and watch their receivers run routes and they come off the football, so does San Francisco’s and Green Bay’s and others.
“But it’s hard to play the (QB) position if you’re not certain how guys are going to run routes or where they’re going to be. And I’m not speaking for Dak (Prescott). Dak may say, ‘Hey, I think (their routes) are amazing.’ But as a former quarterback watching it, it’s gotta get a lot better.”
Dallas has several issues. Mike McCarthy is not a very good head coach. He and Brian Schottenheimer’s offensive scheme stinks. And Prescott just flat-out hasn’t played well.
But you can’t survive in the modern NFL with a wide receiver group that lacks talent and refuses to focus on its craft. It’s a losing formula and a big part of why the Cowboys are an utter disaster at the moment.