A legendary Oklahoma Sooner in his own right, CeeDee Lamb has become every bit the star anyone a fan of the Crimson & Cream imagined he would be when he declared for the NFL Draft.
He enters his fourth year in the NFL and has become a star for the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys are trying to regroup from another playoff loss. They haven’t reached the NFC Championship in nearly 30 years.
For Lamb, last year was a major turning point in his NFL career.
Lamb was tasked with becoming the number-one receiver in the Cowboys’ receiving corps after a pre-draft trade sent former No.1 receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. The front office and his coaches put the onus on the Cowboys’ newest No. 88 to live up to the illustrious standards held by receivers who wear that number.
Early on, Lamb struggled with the task and lost his starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a thumb injury on his throwing hand for five games. Lamb had to adjust to backup QB Cooper Rush.
The season rumbled on, Prescott returned, and the duo unlocked a chemistry they hadn’t before.
The result?
Lamb finished 2022 with 107 catches for 1,359 yards and scored nine touchdowns. His 107 catches are the third-most in franchise history, while his 1,359 yards are fifth-most for a single season. Lamb also did this with defenses keyed in on him weekly. The remaining Cowboys receivers were ranked at or near the bottom of the league in separation. Meaning they struggled to get open, allowing opposing defenses to double CeeDee without fear of paying for it elsewhere in the passing attack.
Lamb answered the bell, and now, with a year under his belt as the alpha in the room, he will look to build on that and take his game to another level.
Pro Football Focus believes Lamb is the ninth-best player in the NFL under 25. His teammate and fellow All-Pro, Micah Parsons, is No.1. Trevor Sikkema of PFF also believes Lamb is the third-best wide receiver under 25 behind two former LSU Tigers in Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase.
Lamb has been an immediate impact player for the Cowboys since they drafted him in 2020. He recorded just under 1,000 receiving yards in his rookie years and has eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in each of the past two seasons. His receiving grade has increased rapidly, from 72.6 in 2020 to 84.8 in 2021 and 87.0 in 2022. The only player with more explosive plays of 20 yards or more in the past two years is Justin Jefferson. – Sikkema, PFF
The Top-10 WRs under 25, per @TampaBayTre pic.twitter.com/QX5x8FhdKO
— PFF (@PFF) May 18, 2023
What’s next for CeeDee Lamb? Aside from the pursuit of a Super Bowl, an extension is looming for the talented wide receiver out of Richmond, Texas. The Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option, something only available to first-round picks. He’s coming off a career season in which he was a Pro Bowler and second-team All-Pro and is expected to count $17.99 million against the cap in 2024, assuming Dallas doesn’t get a long-term deal in place before that season. Lamb will count just $4.45 million against the cap in 2023, with a $2.52 million base salary.
Owner Jerry Jones has been a proponent of paying guys drafted by the team. With an ever-increasing salary cap, the Cowboys will pay the money necessary for CeeDee. It’s simply a matter of when.
In the interim, Lamb’s attention will be on 2023. He has a new offensive coordinator in Brian Schottenheimer and now a new play-caller in head coach Mike McCarthy.
As Oklahoma fans have learned, change doesn’t stop CeeDee Lamb. From a different quarterback every year in college to playing with multiple in the NFL, Lamb has delivered.
The 2023 season should be no different.
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