CeeDee Lamb & other wide receiver holdouts struggling early in season

CeeDee Lamb isn’t the only wide receiver who held out of training camp and is struggling to click with his quarterback.

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The Dallas Cowboys have started the season 1-2 and haven’t gotten much help from CeeDee Lamb, who recently became the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.

This reflects a broader trend of wide receivers who held out of training camp and have yet to deliver the impact their teams expect at the start of the season.

Lamb, Ja'Marr Chase, and Brandon Aiyuk have all had rough starts to the season compared to their standout performances in years prior. This raises the question of whether these players truly had their team's best interests in mind when holding out for their contracts.

MORE: Cowboys' top plays & highlights vs. Ravens in Week 3

The answer to that question is clear: they didn’t. Their poor performances can be attributed to one major factor—missing practice time.

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By prioritizing their contract negotiations over preseason preparation, these players put their interests ahead of their teams.

There’s no doubt their teams would be in a better position if they had attended camp and participated in practice to fine-tune chemistry with their respective quarterbacks, rather than focusing on personal contracts.

Lets dive into the numbers.

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CeeDee Lamb

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To start the season, CeeDee Lamb is averaging just 4.3 catches, 72.6 yards, and 0.33 touchdowns per game—underwhelming numbers for the second-highest-paid player at his position.

In 2023, he averaged nearly 8 catches, 103 yards, and 0.82 touchdowns per game, highlighting the significant drop in production this year.

MORE: What did CeeDee Lamb say to Dak Prescott in heated sideline exchange?

Adding to the concern, his body language has been noticeably negative when plays haven’t gone his way, further raising questions about his focus and mindset.

The Cowboys are 1-2 following a 12-5 season.

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Brandon Aiyuk

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Aiyuk has had an even worse start to the season compared to Lamb, averaging just 3.7 catches for around 40 yards and zero touchdowns.

In 2023, he averaged 4.7 catches for 84 yards and 0.41 touchdowns per game, showing a steep decline in his production. On top of that, he’s dropped several key passes that could have made a difference in the 49ers' two losses.

The 49ers are 1-2 following a 12-5 season and trip to the Super Bowl.

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Ja'Marr Chase

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Chase, often the lifeline of the Bengals’ offense, is averaging just 5 catches for 48.5 yards and zero touchdowns in two games this season. In 2023, he averaged 6.25 catches for 71.5 yards and 0.41 touchdowns per game, despite playing much of the season without Joe Burrow.

This season, however, with Burrow back under center, Chase’s production has surprisingly dipped, raising concerns about his ability to find his rhythm with a healthy quarterback

The Bengals are 0-2 to start the season heading into their Monday Night game against the Washington Commanders.

Nobody is disputing that these wide receivers deserved to get paid. The issue is that by holding out, they hurt their teams in the process. These players earned the lucrative contracts they secured, and in Chase's case, the big payday he will eventually get.

However, they are also part of teams with championship aspirations, and their actions during the offseason showed that they prioritized personal gain over the collective goals of their teams.

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