Source: Cowboys Expect WR CeeDee Lamb to Play at Saints

"When you look at the six games ahead that we have,'' Jerry Jones says, "the cavalry is coming.''

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys have lost two straight, and three of their last four games. But in terms of how the roster is about to shake up, the Cowboys do not believe the sky is falling.

That optimism for the 7-4 club comes in part because of the coming clearance of concussion protocol of receiver CeeDee Lamb. A source tells CowboysSI.com that while he did not make it through the five steps of clearance in time to play in the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Raiders, he should be "back to normal'' as the team begins work here at The Star on Sunday in preparation for a Week 13 visit to New Orleans. That includes, coach Mike McCarthy suggests, a "full'' workout on Sunday.

The Cowboys, just maybe, are about to turn the corner when it comes to injuries. ... except for another COVID issue that now has tackle Terence Steele scratched for Thursday.

Left tackle Tyron Smith returned on Thursday, bringing stability to the left side of the offensive line again. That surely kept quarterback Dak Prescott more upright on Thursday.

Next Thursday night against the Saints, we could see three more Cowboys walk through the door.

“It’s very important,'' Ezekiel Elliott said regarding the return to the lineup of Lamb, Amari Cooper and DeMarcus Lawrence, all of whom should play in Week 13. "We got four more division games left, in six weeks. We definitely gotta lock in and those division games are always gonna be tough. We gotta get ready to close it out.''

Again, wide receiver Lamb sat out Thursday’s game when he didn’t pass concussion protocol. The calendar says wide receiver Cooper should be back, too. He’s been on the COVID list the past two games. Since Cooper was unvaccinated and tested positive the Friday before the Chiefs game, there was no chance he was going to play against the Raiders. The belief is he will play at the Saints.

One wild card is Ezekiel Elliott; sources tell us his knee is troublesome enough that there is consideration being given to resting him against the Saints. Another is defensive end Lawrence, who was activated on Wednesday, which triggered his 21-day window. He’s already practicing. We’ll know more about his availability early next week. Soon after that will come defensive end Randy Gregory from the injured reserve, and defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, too.

Said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on Friday: "Here we come with fresh legs ... I do see the ingredients for improvement ... When you look at the six games ahead that we have,'' Jerry Jones says, "the cavalry is coming.''

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