After suffering a concussion on Sunday, has Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb recovered from the injury, and is he playing today against the Las Vegas Raiders? With a short week leading into Thanksgiving, was Lamb able to clear the concussion protocol in time to be on the field in Week 12?
Update 11/25/21: According to FOX’s Jay Glazer, Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb did not pass the NFL’s concussion protocol and is OUT today vs the Raiders.
Is CeeDee Lamb playing today?
Anytime a player is listed on the injury report with a concussion, it’s extremely unlikely they would be available on a short week. However, each concussion is unique and must be treated as such. Lamb entered the NFL concussion protocol following the game Sunday and has been taking steps to clear the protocol in advance of the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving game.
The indication from Dallas all week has been positive about the potential of Lamb’s return. On Monday, head coach Mike McCarthy said Lamb was present at team meetings that day. The team’s vice president Stephen Jones expressed optimism Lamb would be available during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan.
On Tuesday, McCarthy told the media that he hoped Lamb would be able to do some light work during practice. Lamb was ultimately listed as a non-participant on the Cowboys’ injury report Tuesday. Nonetheless, McCarthy was once again optimistic on Wednesday that Lamb could return. Lamb was listed as a limited participant on the practice report and designated as questionable for Sunday.
Heading into Thursday morning, Lamb will still need to be officially cleared by both the Cowboys and an independent neurologist. However, there is certainly optimism that the team will have him when they face the Raiders this week.
The Cowboys will be without Amari Cooper on Thursday
The Cowboys would love to have Lamb back Thursday because they’re already without Amari Cooper in Week 12. Cooper tested positive for COVID-19 late last week. As Cooper is unvaccinated, he has to quarantine for a mandatory 10 days. That means he would not be available to return until early in Week 13.
If Lamb is also ruled out, the Cowboys would be without their two leading receivers. This season, Lamb has 50 receptions for 740 yards and 6 touchdowns on 77 targets. Meanwhile, Cooper has 583 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns on 44 receptions from 65 targets. The only other players on the roster with more than 30 receptions are Dalton Schultz (44) and Ezekiel Elliott (32).
Which WR would step up if Lamb was ruled out?
The Cowboys would be digging deep into their depth chart if Lamb were to be ruled out Thursday. Noah Brown drew the start in place of Amari Cooper on Sunday. While he played 64% of the offensive snaps, Brown was targeted just twice, finishing the game with zero receptions.
While Cedrick Wilson did not officially start the game against the Chiefs, he played on 63% of the offensive snaps and saw 7 targets. Wilson is the third-most-targeted receiver for the Cowboys this season and would likely start if Lamb is out.
The lead receiver for the team, if Lamb is absent, would be Michael Gallup. Gallup was targeted 10 times in Week 11 while playing 94% of the offensive snaps. Gallup returned from a stint on the IR in Week 10 and has 22 targets in three games this season.
It will be interesting to see what the Cowboys do behind those three at WR if they are without Lamb. Malik Turner has 11 targets this season and would likely be the fourth option. They drafted WR Simi Fehoko in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, but he has only played 4 offensive snaps this season and has not been active since Week 3. Dallas has three wide receivers on their practice squad, so they could decide to elevate one of them as an insurance policy ahead of their Week 12 game.