FRISCO, Texas — I know it takes two to tango.
But it only takes one to be thirsty.
And no contender is more parched and wanting at receiver right now than the Dallas Cowboys, who have been openly thirsting for former three-time Pro Bowler Odell Beckham Jr. for the last three weeks.
From owner Jerry Jones to vice president Stephen Jones to coach Mike McCarthy and the players in the locker room — including quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and receiver CeeDee Lamb — never has a team been so united in lobbying for a free agent.
It’s time for the Cowboys to stop talking about it and sign him.
It’s just that simple.
The need was never more evident than Sunday’s 31-28 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Lamb had the best game of his career, per Jerry Jones, catching 11 passes for 150 yards and two touchdowns.
It was the first 100-yard game of the season for any Cowboys receiver and another example of the production that Lamb brings to the position, despite being partly culpable for spacing and communication issues on two first-half interceptions by Prescott.
He leads the Cowboys with 53 catches for 706 yards and five touchdowns through nine games and is well on pace to shatter his career high of 79 catches for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns set last season.
“CeeDee Lamb, for instance, had the best game that I’ve ever seen him play for the Cowboys,” Jerry Jones said Tuesday in his radio show on 105.3 The Fan. “And man, is that encouraging to see him playing at that particular level. Except for the connection on those two interceptions, except for that, CeeDee played the best I’ve ever seen him play. I don’t know that anybody can play better.”
The problem is that right now all the Cowboys have is Lamb at the position.
Michael Gallup, who missed the first three games of the season rehabbing from a torn ACL, has struggled to return to form. Noah Brown has regressed to his role as nothing more than a quality special teams performer after a strong start to the season.
And rookie third-round pick Jalen Tolbert, who the Cowboys hoped could play a big role as a possible starter in his first season, has continued to disappoint.
He has one catch for 4 yards this season. But his most disheartening play came in overtime against the Packers when he was called for an offside penalty on a 9-yard run by Tony Pollard.
Instead of a first down at the Green Bay 37, the Cowboys faced a second-and-8 at their own 49. Add in a holding penalty on guard Connor McGovern two plays later, and all the momentum was lost.
The Tolbert penalty was egregious and unforgivable. No receiver should be called for offsides. Coach Mike McCarthy said he actually committed two penalties on the play as he backed up before the snap and could have been called for illegal motion.
So the thirst for Beckham is understandable.
It’s also a tacit admission that the Cowboys made a huge mistake in letting their money get mad and trading away former No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns last March because the production didn’t match his salary. And yet the Cowboys failed to add a quality replacement.
Beckham is a free agent because he is returning from a torn ACL he suffered in Super Bowl 56 with the Los Angeles Rams.
He is seemingly healthy and ready to join another team. And while he has other suitors, there is mutual interest between Beckham and the Cowboys.
So, why hasn’t there been a signing yet?
“Well, first of all, in this particular case, start by asking why is it that you’re able to sign him. Ask that question, why?” Jones said. “Because he’s not on a team at this time of year, a player of that caliber, that’s rare. Trading is over.
“Well, it is because we’re dealing with a situation where he’s free, but potentially very capable of helping a team right now win and play, and him play at a high level. That will tell you alone it is a rarified set of circumstances, and those don’t just happen or this wouldn’t be possible.”
Here’s a novel idea. Stop talking about it and make it happen.
Quench the Cowboys’ thirst.
