Dak Prescott reveals text he sent CeeDee Lamb after his drop-filled Week 1 outing
Dak Prescott won’t let one game change how he feels about his All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb caught seven passes for 110 yards in the Dallas Cowboys’ Week 1 loss to the defending-champion Philadelphia Eagles. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Lamb had three drops in the contest, including one that would have put the Cowboys deep in Eagles territory with a chance to win the game in the final minutes. The wasted opportunities weighed heavily on Lamb, who later apologized to his quarterback through text. Lamb messaged Prescott after the game to say that the drops “won’t happen again” and implored his QB to “keep trusting me.”
Prescott spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of his team’s Week 2 contest against the New York Giants. One reporter asked what the Cowboys QB replied to Lamb’s text messages.
“‘Yeah, I’m not going to stop throwing you the ball. That’s a game, bro,'” Prescott said was his reply to Lamb.
“Same thing I told y’all,” Prescott continued. It wasn’t the best day. It wasn’t the best day for CeeDee. It’s understandable. It happens. Hell, I’ve had them, right? We’ve all had them.
“‘Nobody, especially [you], I’m not going to lose confidence in. And so don’t worry, just keep approaching the way that you’re approaching, and you’re going to have a bounce back, and many of them.'”
Lamb is coming off a fourth-straight season with at least 1,000 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. He’s also just two years removed from his 1,749-yard, 12-touchdown campaign in 2023 that saw him earn first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career.
It’s a testament to Lamb’s talent that a 110-yard receiving game was considered subpar due to a couple of drops. As far as Prescott is concerned, one game won’t erase the body of work Lamb has put up to earn his trust.
Dillon Gabriel’s ‘entertainers, competitors’ comments will get Browns fans talking
Browns rookie Dillon Gabriel makes some comments that will only draw more attention to the QB room, whether that was his intention or not
The Cleveland Browns are expected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, but they are also one of the most powerful media magnets in the league right now. And that statement will carry even more validity following Saturday's 22-13 preseason win versus the Philadelphia Eagles. While there are certainly interesting aspects of the game to unpack, the biggest attention-grabber occurred during a sideline interview in the third quarter.
Rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who made his preseason debut after recently battling a hamstring injury, dropped a soundbite that is sure to go viral. When asked how he “tunes out the noise,” the third-round draft pick responded with an interesting choice of words that had many fans immediately thinking of one man.
“That's just part of it… there's entertainers and there's competitors,” Gabriel said, via TheDayroomExperience X account. “And I totally understand that, and my job is to compete… I just want to be the best teammate that I can and create an environment where we can all do our best work.”
The “entertainers” remark immediately put the spotlight on fellow rookie signal-caller Shedeur Sanders, who famously has a big personality and flashy appearance. However, given the nature of the question, which focused on “the noise,” it is definitely possible Gabriel was talking about the media circus that is encircling the Browns QB room, and not his teammate.
Do not forget, one reporter was caught on video mouthing “I'm taller than him” in the spring, so it is possible the 24-year-0ld already has some reservations about the local press. A narrative will take shape regardless.
Browns' Dillon Gabriel, Shedeur Sanders must push through all the hoopla
Whether or not he intended to bring Sanders back into focus, Gabriel just threw gasoline on the QB controversy that was already brewing in Cleveland. He should know how the specific word “entertainer” is going to be perceived by those watching. Although it is not a written part of the job description, a quarterback is supposed to ward off distractions when talking into a microphone.
Unfortunately, this will have the opposite effect. Gabriel wants his game to speak louder than anything he said off the field, but while he did show some promise on Saturday afternoon, the All-American and former Oregon star posted a mixed outing. He completed 13-of-18 passes for 143 yards, while also throwing an interception that was returned for a touchdown and committing a lost fumble on a handoff.
Gabriel's pass-catchers share accountability on the pick-six — bunched-up and did not make a strong move for the ball — but he needs to recognize potential dangers during such unfavorable circumstances. Nevertheless, the young Hawaiian still made enough good throws to inspire some optimism.
Since Shedeur Sanders is nursing an oblique injury, and Dillon Gabriel was sidelined last week, fans have still yet to see both signal-callers compete in the same exhibition game.
Perhaps that will change in the Browns' preseason finale against the Los Angeles Rams next Saturday. The team and NFL world can expect much speculation until that day arrives.
