Dallas Cowboys legends bless CeeDee Lamb to wear No. 88
After it was formally announced that rookie wide receiver CeeDee Lamb would wear No. 88, both Dez Bryant and Michael Irvin approved of the decision.
When he was originally drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said he wanted to wear the No. 10 for the team.
With former Cowboys player Tavon Austin hitting free agency, and the team not showing interest in signing him back, the number would have been available for Lamb to wear. However, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had other plans, saying he would like Lamb to wear No. 88.
88 is an iconic number in Dallas Cowboys history. Great former Cowboys wide receivers Drew Pearson, Michael Irvin, and Dez Bryant all wore the number throughout their illustrious careers wearing the star.
Wearing this number brings pressure, the pressure to perform at a high level in this great franchise. A pressure that Irvin thinks Lamb is prepared for.
On ESPN’s First Take, Michael Irvin had this to say about CeeDee Lamb wearing the number per The Athletic’s Jon Machota via Twitter.
"“This dude is a combination of all three (88s). He can play outside and he can make those Hail Mary type plays like Drew Pearson. He can go up in the air and get the ball like Dez Bryant. And he’s a route-tree expert like Michael Irvin.”"
This is extraordinarily high praise from the Hall of Famer. Pearson, Bryant, and Irvin are all legendary football players who left their own individual marks on the Cowboys organization.
Irvin was “the playmaker” who helped deliver three Super Bowl trophies for the team in the 1990’s dynasty. Pearson caught the iconic Hail Mary play in the NFC divisional-round game against the Minnesota Vikings in 1975. He also went on to win the Super Bowl in 1978 for the team. Bryant holds the Cowboys all-time leading receiving touchdowns record with 73 touchdowns.
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Dez Bryant also gave Lamb encouraging words, tweeting “BE YOU and BE GREAT” over a picture of Lamb wearing the No. 88 for the Dallas Cowboys. With so there already being a lot of pressure on CeeDee Lamb heading into the season, it is nice to see Cowboys greats showing encouragement to the rookie receiver.