It has not been a sterling year for Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb, who normally ranks among the best four or five wide receivers in the NFL. He got off to a slow start because of a preseason holdout as he awaited a new contract from the team, and once he got back on the field, adversity awaited.
Dak Prescott got hurt in Week 9 and has been out since, missing half the year with a hamstring injury. Lamb himself got hurt, too, injuring his AC joint in his shoulder, a painful injury he’s tried to play through. Through it all, Lamb has managed 1,089 yards receiving, the fourth time he has met that threshold in his career.
Still, it is not a typical Lamb season, especially not compared with last year, when he caught 135 passes and set a franchise record with 1,749 yards receiving. At Pro Football Focus, Lamb has graded out with a 75.9, which is decent, and ranks 29th out of 128 receivers (he was sixth last year).
Cowboys Lacking at WR
The problem for the Cowboys is that Lamb is the only receiver on the roster who ranks in the Top 90. No. 2 on the team is Brandin Cooks, who ranks 93rd at PFF. Jalen Tolbert is next, and he is the 100th-rated WR out of 128.
No one is more thankful for the presence of Lamb than backup quarterback Cooper Rush, who has managed to keep the team afloat in the wake of Prescott’s absence in large part thanks to Lamb, who has caught 41 of Rush’s 124 completions–nearly one-third–since Rush took over as the starter.
Said Rush this week: “I mean he is unbelievable. A couple of throws today he just takes for 20 yards, a screen here, a screen there. The adjustment he makes on the touchdown throw, it’s just elite-level instincts that a lot of guys don’t have at that level. He is just pretty easy to throw to and you have to get him the ball.”
CeeDee Lamb a ‘Quarterback’s Best Friend’
Going forward, of course, the Cowboys will need to make some major changes. The team is faced with a roster packed with free agents (including Cooks) next offseason, and plenty of areas that need addressing. But they’ll need to make sure that wide receiver is one of those areas, that the team has another pass-catcher to take pressure off Lamb.
Until then, the reliance on Lamb will continue.
“He’s just a tough, talented, dynamic football player,” coach Mike McCarthy said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic. “You can’t find enough ways to get him the ball. And the beauty of CeeDee is you can line him up in the backfield 10 times and hand it to him because he’s a natural runner with the football. … We just have to continue to find ways to get him the ball.”
“He’s a quarterback’s best friend. He’s easy to throw the ball to. He’s got great body control. When he gets even, he’s leaving with a DB. That’s what you look for in your No. 1 receiver. He’s everything you ever wanted and more.”
