Getty CeeDee Lamb of the Dallas Cowboys.
The Dallas Cowboys and CeeDee Lamb are working towards a long-term extension but not everyone is sure he’s a No. 1 wide receiver.
Lamb is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons and just had his best season as a pro after taking over the No. 1 wide receiver spot from Amari Cooper, who was traded away in the offseason. Lamb collected 1,359 yards on 107 catches, finding the end zone nine times, per Pro Football Reference.
While Lamb has been great, former NFL executive and current analyst Michael Lombardi doesn’t believe he is a legitimate No.1 wide receiver.
“No, I don’t. I think he’s a really good player,” Lombardi said during an appearance on “Gbag Nation” on 105.3 The Fan. “Let me say let me clarify what a one is. You’re driving to the stadium Sunday morning and you’re sweating. And it’s 30 degrees outside and you’re sweating because you don’t know how the hell you’re going to cover that guy. Right? Tyreek Hill is one Davante Adams is a one. I mean, Amari Cooper was never a one but he got paid like he was, but he was never a one.”
CeeDee Lamb Contract Talks ‘Ongoing’ With Cowboys
It’s a high bar Lombardi is setting for No. 1 wide receivers but he does have a point. Lamb has been great but doesn’t typically dictate coverages and there have been times when he goes missing. Lombardi went into more detail discussing what his expectation would be for a No. 1 receiver.
“You’re worried that guy’s going to take over the game because you can’t roll the coverage to him and take him out of the game,” Lombardi said. “He still gets open.”
Lamb is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal and the Cowboys need to make a decision on picking up his fifth-year option for 2024. That would be worth $19.7 million, per Spotrac, but they could also make a move on a long-term deal.
Adam Schultz and Mike Fisher of CowboysSI.com recently reported that the Dallas brass is considering ramping up talks — which were dubbed as ongoing — and are “locking into that fifth-year option plan.”
If Lamb is handed an extension, it might not reset the market but he’d land among the top-paid pass-catchers. It’d be conceivable to see Lamb land somewhere between $25-30 million per year, depending on how the market shifts with new contracts. Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill is currently the highest-paid receiver annually at $30 million per season. Davante Adams is next at $28 million.
CeeDee Lamb Expected to Have More Support This Season With Cowboys
The Cowboys added Brandin Cooks this offseason to beef up their wide receiver corps, which should give Lamb a boost. Wide receiver depth was a significant issue for the Cowboys last season and having another proven weapon running routes should lead to more space for Lamb to work.
Cooks has played the last three seasons in Houston, going over 1,000 yards in two of those campaigns. He missed four games last season for the struggling Texans, notching 57 catches for 699 yards and three touchdowns.
There’s also an expectation that Michael Gallup will look more like his old self after struggling with injuries last season. Gallup was coming off a torn ACL and had additional right knee and right ankle surgeries this offseason.