Cowboys vs. Bucs: Can CeeDee Lamb Prove He's on Level with Cooper Kupp & Davante Adams?

The 23-year-old Lamb enters his third season with a monumental weight on his shoulders, but carrying it is what it takes to be mentioned with the league's best.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott admitted he would be watching the Los Angeles Rams host the Buffalo Bills for the NFL season-opener Thursday night. 

"Football is back," he said. "Excited just to be able to watch a good game tonight." 

While the game - which ended in a 31-10 win for Buffalo - didn't quite live up to the hype that had been building for months, Prescott got to watch receiver Cooper Kupp dominate with 13 catches for 128 yards and the Rams only touchdown. 

Prescott was asked Thursday before the game on whether his top receiver, CeeDee Lamb, should be getting the plentiful opportunities that Kupp and Las Vegas Raiders receiver Davante Adams have been known to receive in recent seasons. 

With Amari Cooper now gone, Lamb is set to command an abundant target share. And performances like Kupp's on Thursday is something Prescott says he - and the rest of the NFL - should expect from Lamb this season.

"Expect him to go and be mentioned as one of those names when this season’s done," Prescott said. "He’ll go out there and just prove that. He’s been preparing to do that."

Even with Cooper in the lineup last season, Lamb led the Cowboys in targets (120), catches (79), and receiving yards (1,102) while also adding six touchdown grabs. Cooper and tight end Dalton Schultz tied the team-lead with eight receiving scores. 

Lamb's presence will be a vital component toward any success for a Dallas team that is thin at receiver headed into Sunday night's season-opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

Michael Gallup continues to progress positively from ACL recovery, but is still a few weeks away. Rookie receiver Jalen Tolbert struggled in preseason and still has lot to prove (and is inactive for the Bucs game). Fifth-year wideout Noah Brown should play an important role, though his upside is limited. Dennis Houston? KaVontae Turpin? Anybody?

But despite what some might consider a lack of receiving weapons, Prescott doesn't plan on force-feeding Lamb. He knows the play-making of his top wideout will provide opportunities that otherwise wouldn't be there with any run-of-the-mill receiver. 

"Obviously you don’t go in there saying you’re going to force some throws," Prescott said. "But when a guy’s one on one and you have a playmaker like CeeDee, it’s not quite 50-50 ball. So if that’s what you mean, yeah, for sure, giving him those opportunities ... We’ll continue to give the best player the ball at the best time. We’re not going to force anyone."

And just like the team-first quarterback Prescott is, he made sure to credit the rest of the important offensive contributors. Running backs Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott are expected to "Dine and Dash" through defenses all season long. 

"We’ve been preparing as an offense, just to get the best play, get the best players in the best positions, whether that’s CeeDee, whether it’s TP, whether it’s Zeke, whether it’s one of the other guys," he said. 

Still, Prescott didn't hesitate to admit that Lamb is the leader of the play-making pack, a monumental weight on the shoulders for a 23-year-old entering his third season. But carrying it is what it takes to be mentioned with the league's best. 

"It’s just exciting having the playmaker that he is lead this group," Prescott said.

Dallas and Tampa Bay are set for kickoff at 7:20 p.m. C.T. at AT&T Stadium. 

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You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7

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