CeeDee Lamb may be the Dallas Cowboys' No. 1 wideout, but he still has some progress to make in the eyes of football analysts.
According to Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports, the Pro Bowler did not make the list of the top-10 receivers entering the 2022 season.
Lamb earned some recognition as part of the "best of the rest" category, which also included D.K. Metcalf, Terry McLaurin, Jaylen Waddle, Brandin Cooks, and Odell Beckham among others. Lamb and the other youngsters in the "best of the rest" group had, "varying styles and skill sets but could easily become the next generation of perennial Pro Bowlers," according to Benjamin.
The 2022 season may be Lamb's chance to ascend into the top 10. As a complement to Amari Cooper, Lamb caught 79 passes for 1,102 yards and six touchdowns through 16 games, 13 of which he started. With Cooper gone, the Cowboys appeared to be committed in offseason workouts to getting Lamb more involved in the offense.
"It’s a little bit of everything: movement, positioning, but that’s all for the better and kind of helping me grow as a player," Lamb told reporters on May 25 after organized team activities at The Star. "Understanding different looks, understanding how the defense is going to play, and understanding my approach. So, different ways you can look at it, but you got to find a happy medium.”
Coach Mike McCarthy said the chance for Lamb to be the Cowboys' new No. 1 wideout "is a great opportunity for him personally."
Said McCarthy: "I think just the way we’ve established with the offense, particularly with the passing game, those guys play different positions, to create matchups, to make it harder for defenses to double you and those types of things. And him, my point is, playing in the slot a lot last year and now playing the flanker position. We understand his rise in year three that he’s going to get a lot more attention from the defense."
One notable that did crack the top-10 was Philadelphia Eagles wideout A.J. Brown, who was a big pickup for the Cowboys' NFC East rivals during the 2022 NFL draft. Philadelphia made a deal with the Tennessee Titans to acquire the former 2020 Pro Bowler in April.
Brown started all 13 games that he played last year and caught 63 passes for 869 yards and five touchdowns. Brown's 2021 yardage and touchdowns were the lowest through his first three seasons in the NFL.
Do you think CeeDee Lamb will be considered a top 10 reciever by the end of the 2022 season? Share your thoughts with Mark on Twitter @therealmarklane.