Cowboys Found A Superstar In CeeDee Lamb
A lot of prolific receivers have worn the number 88 for the Dallas Cowboys. Michael Irvin and Dez Bryant are two noteworthy examples. However, I think there’s a chance CeeDee Lamb is the best one yet. Even five games into his rookie season, Lamb is on the path to stardom.
Lamb, the first-round pick out of Oklahoma, has not needed any time adjusting to the NFL. Before the draft, I comped Lamb to Chad Johnson. He was just such a physical specimen who found ways to win and create yards after the catch. That comp doesn’t look too far off at this point.
Dallas has weapons everywhere, and it’s made life very easy for Lamb. With Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup on the outside, Lamb has carved it up in the slot. Lamb has 396 yards, 11 catches, and 20 first downs in the slot. All of those marks are by far the best in the rookie class.
Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs have had their moments but haven’t quite popped yet. Jeudy mostly has had to overcome lousy quarterback play while Ruggs needs to prove he’s more than a deep threat. Both look good, however.
Then there’s Justin Jefferson, who has burst onto the scene. Jefferson isn’t quite Stefon Diggs, but he’s been electric. You can’t critique that trade for the Vikings based on what Jefferson has done and his potential moving forward.
Then there’s CeeDee Lamb. No disrespect to those other guys, but Lamb looks different. I’m not quite sure how to quantify it; Lamb turns into the best player on the field. At Oklahoma, Marquise Brown was a great player, but Lamb quickly out shadowed him. With the Cowboys, Michael Gallup is fantastic. It’s taken five weeks to realize Lamb is significantly better.
How many weeks until Lamb surpasses Cooper. Listen, I love Cooper, but Lamb is just different. Lamb might be a notch below Cooper in terms of pure route-running ability. Lamb is just so special with his catch and run skills. The guy is flat out unbelievable.
In five games, the Oklahoma product has 29 receptions for 433 yards and two touchdowns. THAT’S NOT NORMAL! Even someone like DK Metcalf, it took him eight weeks last year to get going. Sure, some of his production directly results from the Cowboys’ bad defense and game script. It’s just hard to ignore what Lamb is doing.
Lamb is the first player in the history of the NFL to start his career with five straight games of at least 50 receiving yards. Lamb also ranks fifth in the league in receiving yards, despite so many mouths to feed in the Cowboys offense. He’s just scratching the surface. CeeDee Lamb is a bonafide star. How did 16 teams pass on this guy?
