Saints at Cowboys Final Injury Report: DBs vs. CeeDee, Jake Plan?

FRISCO — Heading into the Dallas Cowboys season opener, the chemistry between Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb became a prominent question. Lamb held out of the entirety of training camp for a contract extension.

In the 33-17 win against the Cleveland Browns, Lamb and Prescott did not light up the box score, but the star receiver had considerable involvement in the offense with five grabs for 61 yards and three carries for 25 yards.

But Lamb reeled in only half of his 10 targets and the connection that torched the league last season never quite found its footing.

That could be a result of Lamb's missed time with the team or a strong Browns secondary. Nonetheless, the partnership has a chance to rekindle its fire against the New Orleans Saints this week.

First, there is Lamb announcing after this week of work, "I'm back!''

Related: 'I'm Back!' CeeDee's Prediction for Saints in Week 2

And then there are the Saints issues: Star corner Marshon Lattimore, the presumed primary cover for Lamb, has not practiced the last two days after suffering a hamstring injury against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Lattimore has a history with hamstring injuries and his status remains questionable heading into Sunday's matchup.

If he does not suit up, the Saints are likely to rely on Kool-Aid McKinstry. For the second-round rookie, that is quite the assignment going against the best slot receiver in the league.

McKinstry could rise to the challenge. But the Saints are best suited to employ Lattimore on Lamb if he can go.

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The Cowboys showed last week they can still move the ball and score points against the best defenses in the league, even when their stars are not completely clicking. ... and that might be a task this week because of tight end Jake Ferguson's nagging knee issue. … he’s not practiced all week and is listed as doubtful.

But the enhancement of the Lamb-Prescott connection takes this offense to another level and Mike McCarthy may look to exploit such a matchup if it is presented to him.

Once these two find their groove from the 2023 season any whisperings of holdout talk and chemistry issues will wither away.