The Dallas Cowboys offense is in trouble ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, and it's not just because Micah Parsons is coming for Dak Prescott. With the CeeDee Lamb injury, Dallas will be without arguably its best (and definitely one of its highest-paid) stars. And now Jalen Cropper has some big shoes to fill.
Cropper is the wide receiver the Cowboys elevated from their practice squad to replace Lamb, per Adam Schefter. The superstar pass-catcher will miss not just the Week 4 matchup with the Packers but likely three to four weeks with a high ankle sprain.
Going by Jalen Moreno-Cropper at Fresno State, the young wideout signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2023. Since then, he's been released and re-signed to the practice squad several times by Dallas. In 2024, he appeared in his first, and up until now, only NFL game. In that Week 9 34-6 loss to the Philadlephia Eagles, Cropper played 12 offensive and three special teams snaps.
While Cropper is the roster replacement for Lamb, it will be receivers George Pickens, KaVonte Turpin, and Jalen Tolbert, running backs Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, and tight end Jake Ferguson who need to pick up the slack. That's easier said than done, though, as the Cowboys' offense looked totally inept in Week 3 after Lamb limped off the field.
Even with all his weapons, Prescott would still face a tough challenge on Friday night when facing his former teammate, Parsons, and the Green Bay defense. Through three games, the Packers have the No. 1 scoring defense, surrendering just 44 points on the season. They've also given up the third-least yards (697) behind only the Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons.
With the Eagles at 3-0 and the Commanders at 2-1, dropping to 1-3 on the season would drastically reduce the Cowboys' playoff chances. So, while this is not a must-win game for Big D, it is one they would love to win, but that is not going to be easy withoug CeeDee Lamb.
