Cowboys star Lamb, 1st-round pick Downs try hands, feet at new sports

The Dallas Cowboys have the entire offseason roster at The Star in Frisco, Texas for the first time thanks to mandatory minicamp. Sports DFW is pretty crowded, as the 2026 FIFA World Cup is also in town, as well as the Texas Rangers who are playing a home series against the Minnesota Twins.

With all three going on at the same time in the same area, it’s given a few Cowboys an opportunity to showcase their skills in other sports, primarily All-Pro wideout CeeDee Lamb and first-round pick Caleb Downs..

Downs was on the mound Tuesday night, throwing out the first pitch at the Rangers game. The rookie got a warm welcome from the crowd during his ceremonial toss.

Downs was actually a standout baseball player in high school before committing to football full-time in college. The Rangers went on to get hammered, 12-2, and could’ve used some of Downs’ defensive skills, making two errors in the loss.

While Downs was using his hand to throw a baseball, Lamb was trying his luck at soccer. For someone who uses his feet to excel at football, it’s an entirely different skill set than kicking a soccer ball. Lamb was trying to perform a scissor kick, which went horribly wrong.

There’s hand-eye coordination in catching a football, something Lamb has no problem with, routinely making difficult catches. However, the All-Pro WR wasn’t as proficient in foot-eye coordination needed to execute a challenging soccer kick, missing the ball.

Perhaps Brandon Aubrey should’ve attempted the scissor kick. As a third-team All-American soccer player at Notre Dame, Aubrey dreamed of playing professional soccer. It never materialized, but the All-Pro kicker likely has the skill to complete the feat where Lamb failed.

Neither Downs nor Lamb will be changing sports anytime soon, and the Cowboys are happy they’ll be sticking to their day jobs.

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