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2021 Dallas Cowboys report card: CeeDee Lamb

By Brandon Loree

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 08: CeeDee Lamb #88 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 8, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JANUARY 08: CeeDee Lamb #88 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on January 8, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys
CeeDee Lamb #88 of the Dallas Cowboys (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

CeeDee Lamb 2020 Grade: B+

In the 2020 NFL Draft, the former Oklahoma Sooner fell right into the Cowboy’s lap at pick No. 17. Head coach Mike McCarthy was excited to add Lamb into the wide receiver room that already had Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup. McCarthy said this when speaking to Bleacher Report:

"“He is a dynamic football player. I think the fact that he carries an alpha status, along with the ability to play what I would refer to as all four [wide receiver] positions, both inside and outside. He has the ability to move around and create favorable match-ups. He’s a dynamic player with the ball in his hands, his ability to go get the football and make plays. … We just felt like we took the best player on our board. He will be very dynamic.”"

Having a three-headed monster in Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb was a nightmare scenario for opposing defenses to defend that season. Early in the season, the trio dominated the league on offense. Through the first five games of 2020, the Cowboys’ offense was showing off its new toy. From Week 1 to Week 5, Lamb had 433 yards receiving on 29 receptions for two touchdowns. Those are crazy numbers for a rookie who was the third option for quarterback Dak Prescott.

Unfortunately, the offense’s historical pace came to a stop when Prescott suffered a season-ending injury against the New York Giants in Week 5. From there on out, Lamb never had another 100 yard game on the year. Lamb was on pace to have an A or A+ season, but because of the injury to Prescott, the production was never the same. His chemistry with backup quarterback Andy Dalton did not click the same way it did with the QB1.

A rookie wide receiver takes time to transition their game from college to the pro level. However, Lamb exceeded those expectations his first year, recording 74 catches for 935 yards and seven total touchdowns. Not to mention some highlight-reel-worthy plays, so he is given a B+ on the year. Expectations were high for the rookie going into his second season.