Dallas Cowboys give CeeDee Lamb famed No. 88. Does that shut the door on Dez Bryant?
It’s official.
Dallas Cowboys first-round pick CeeDee Lamb is the new torch bearer for the legacy No. 88 jersey.
And the door now could be closed on a Dez Bryant return.
Picked 17th overall by the Cowboys in the 2020 NFL Draft, Lamb initially said he wanted to wear No. 10 with the Cowboys after wearing No. 2 at Oklahoma.
But owner Jerry Jones had other thoughts right after the selection.
It was not just about following Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin and Bryant’s glorious footsteps of wearing No. 88 with the Cowboys but also in honor of a great college friend at Arkansas, Jerry Lamb, who recently passed away.
“I recently lost a great friend; might have been my best,” Jones said. “I played ball with him at Arkansas. He was number 88. His name was Jerry Lamb. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. We couldn’t have won a national championship without him. He was a wonderful player.
“This is a little drama from my perspective,” Jones continued. “I said in honor of my great friend that just passed this year, we’re going to have his namesake come on over here and wear old number 88 just like Michael (Irvin) and Dez (Bryant) and those guys. And we’ve got a receiver. Let me tell you one thing, if he’s got the compete and heart of that Jerry Lamb he’ll be bad to the bone.”
Jones got his way.
The Cowboys are officially selling Lamb jerseys with No. 88 at the team pro shop and the NFL Shop.
No. 88 has been reserved for the team’s great receivers. Pearson retired as the team’s all-time leading receiver. He is on the team’s Ring of Honor and was a member of the NFL All-Decade team of the 1970s. Irvin won three Super Bowl titles with the Cowboys. He is in the Ring of Honor and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Bryant is the team’s all-time leader in touchdown receptions.
What Lamb’s number also means is that the door likely is closed on Bryant returning to the Cowboys.
He was released following the 2017 season and suffered a torn Achilles tendon shortly after signing with New Orleans Saints in November 2018.
Bryant sat out all of 2019 and is working on returning to the league. Coming back to the Cowboys was his primary focus.
While the Cowboys never commented on Bryant’s hopes, the passing of No. 88 to Lamb speaks volumes.
This story was originally published April 30, 2020 at 2:06 PM.
