CeeDee Lamb says ex Texas football QB Garrett Gilbert is a ‘warrior’

Some of former Texas football QB Garrett Gilbert’s teammates had some high marks for him after his NFL debut for the Cowboys against the Steelers.

There were a lot more good things to say about the performance of former Texas football and SMU Mustangs highly touted quarterback Garrett Gilbert following his NFL debut that most would’ve figured heading into last weekend. Gilbert got his first career NFL start last weekend for the Dallas Cowboys and head coach Mike McCarthy in the wake of a number of injuries to quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart.

The Cowboys had the former Cincinnati Bengals and TCU Horned Frogs signal caller Andy Dalton takeover the reigns on offense after Dak Prescott got knocked out for the season. Then Dalton came down with a concussion soon thereafter, leaving the likes of former Pitt Panther Ben DiNucci with the starting role.

DiNucci had a rather poor start for the Cowboys in a loss a couple of weeks ago to the divisional foe Philadelphia Eagles. That forced the hand of McCarthy to explore other options, and they arrived at giving Gilbert the chance to start last weekend in a really difficult spot.

Gilbert got the start for the Cowboys against the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers and veteran two-time Super Bowl Champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. That seemed like an impossible task at the outset for Gilbert to get the Cowboys over the hump in this game.

But that’s almost what he did as the Cowboys held a double-digit point lead heading into the fourth quarter against the Steelers on Nov. 8. A big 15 point rally from the Steelers in the fourth quarter got head coach Mike Tomlin the win, but at least Gilbert and the Cowboys kept it close.

Gilbert wound up completing 21 of 38 passing attempts for just shy of 250 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception. He also added roughly 30 yards on the ground in a pretty efficient manner.

His efforts in this 24-19 loss for the Cowboys to the Steelers actually got some kind words from fans, media, and even his teammates. Former Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (who caught the sole Gilbert touchdown pass over the weekend) said that Gilbert was a “warrior” out there as the Cowboys quarterback.

Not only did Lamb have the sole receiving touchdown for the Cowboys, he was also the team leader in receiving yards (more than 70). He and Amari Cooper looked to have the best chemistry with Gilbert, which isn’t much of a surprise given they’re the top two Cowboys receivers.

Nonetheless, McCarthy and the Cowboys have a decision to make heading out of the bye week as to who they will start at quarterback. It could be Gilbert again, and deservedly so. But since the Cowboys have this coming weekend off, Dalton might be ready to go by the time the Nov. 22 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings arrives.

No matter who McCarthy goes with, it should be the quarterback that gives the Cowboys the best chance to win. As the Cowboys starter, Dalton did not fair too well in two losses in two tries against the Arizona Cardinals and Washington Football Team. Granted that loss to Washington was the one where he got knocked out of the game with a head injury.