Dallas Cowboys depth chart battle: CeeDee Lamb vs. Michael Gallup

Dallas Cowboys depth chart battle: CeeDee Lamb vs. Michael Gallup.

The Dallas Cowboys made the right choice by taking Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb with their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, but there’s no doubt his presence on the roster will create an interesting depth chart battle for this season.

The Cowboys lost wide receiver Randall Cobb to the Houston Texans in free agency, leaving a void in the slot.

Although Lamb certainly has the natural talent and physicality to play in the slot, will be the Cowboys’ number two or number three this season?

Third-year player Michael Gallup — fresh off of his first 1,000-yard season in the NFL last year with the Cowboys — is not going to be giving his playing time away to CeeDee Lamb anytime soon.

Cowboys 2019 wide receiver snap counts

• 1. Michael Gallup, 846 snaps (75.47 percent)
• 2. Amari Cooper, 845 snaps (75.38 percent)
• 3. Randall Cobb, 720 snaps (64.23 percent)
• 4. Tavon Austin, 307 snaps (27.12 percent)

As much money as Amari Cooper got paid this past offseason as the Cowboys’ number one receiver in targets, yards, and touchdowns, it was Gallup who led the way in snaps played.

Although Jason Garrett is gone, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore remains and Mike McCarthy certainly has been known for his affinity for three-wide receiver sets. Given the Cowboys’ apparent lack at the tight end position, it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility to assume we could see all of Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb play at least 70 percent of the offensive snaps in 2020.

But will Lamb out-snap Gallup? One of these two players is going to be relegated to slot duty, and while that player could also be Amari Cooper who is the most advanced and skilled route runner of the three, Lamb definitely has the raw talent to push Gallup’s snap count down from first to third place on the Cowboys’ roster in 2020.

The more pressing issue could be target share for these three guys. It’s going to be tough to keep all three happy, especially with Ezekiel Elliott at the running back position. The Cowboys certainly seem poised to at least repeat last year’s nearly 600 pass attempts just to make sure everyone in this wide receiver room is well-fed.

The snap counts could also vary from week to week. The Cowboys have the opportunity right now to exploit different matchups with these targets.

It’s worth noting that physically and athletically, Lamb and Gallup are actually quite comparable.

With Cooper’s ability to work the short-intermediate parts of the field, it would not be a surprise for the Cowboys to utilize him in the slot with Gallup and Lamb on the outside in three-wide sets.

Kellen Moore and Mike McCarthy have their hands full but it’s a nice problem to have, all the same.