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Cowboys fans looking to point fingers at the factors responsible for the team’s underwhelming (and often humiliating) 3-3 start will start to run out of digits in a hurry. The porous defense, the near-total lack of a run game, poor offensive line play, an absurd number of penalties, debilitating injuries to key playmakers, terrible tackling, questionable coaching and scheming- all are without question blameworthy.
But one of the franchise’s greatest legends turned his attention to another area of concern this week, and he did not hold back in his criticism.
Three-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Troy Aikman went off on the Cowboys’ current crop of wide receivers during a call-in with Dallas radio station 96.7/1310 The Ticket on Thursday morning.
“I think the routes are terrible,” Aikman said on-air. “I think they run terrible routes. And I’ve thought that beyond this year. I think CeeDee [Lamb] has got to improve his route-running.”
Lamb would, at first, seem to be an odd choice for singling out when trying to pinpoint the Cowboys’ myriad problems this season. The three-time Pro Bowler and league’s defending receptions leader is in the top 12 in catches and third in targets through six weeks of play this year. His 467 yards are fifth-best at the position, and his yards-per-game average ranks him seventh overall.
Volume isn’t the issue, according to Aikman.
“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 lazy guys 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.”
It’s worth noting that Cowboys wide receivers coach Robert Prince, who has been with the team since 2022, took on an additional job title this year, that of pass game coordinator. Have the extra responsibilities taken some of his focus away from time spent working with his receivers on the finer points of their game?
To be fair, the Cowboys receiving corps gets very thin and very inexperienced very quickly after Lamb. Veteran Brandin Cooks hasn’t played since Sept. 26, leaving Prescott to have to lean heavily on Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin, and Ryan Flournoy (43 combined career catches entering 2024) instead.
A cursory look at Dak Prescott’s numbers suggest that even if his receivers aren’t totally reliable, the quarterback is still somehow making it work. Prescott ranks third in passing yards and completions.
His 63.4% completion rate, however, ranks him just 23rd, a figure that lends credence to Aikman’s theory. Prescott is having to work hard to find his receivers, but they’re often not holding up their end of the bargain.
The Hall of Famer says that’s not the case with the true contenders around the league.
“I just finished watching the Baltimore Ravens because I have them this week,” said the Monday Night Football color analyst. “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 [quarterback] 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 got to get a lot better.”
But any improvement is going to have to be internal, as the Cowboys don’t appear to be considering bringing in outside help before the trade deadline. Six-time Pro Bowler Davante Adams was just dealt to the Jets, and noted route-running technician Amari Cooper– himself a former Cowboy- was just shipped to Buffalo.
And if Dallas drops another few games over their next gauntlet of games, it’s not unthinkable that they may look to send Cooks packing for whatever future draft capital they can get.
That means the route-running that Aikman is already calling “terrible” and lazy” could very well stay right where it is for the duration of the Cowboys’ 2024 season.