Dallas Cowboys CeeDee Lamb 'Overrated,' Says Richard Sherman; 'America's Team' Backlash?

Dallas Cowboys CeeDee Lamb 'Overrated,' Says Richard Sherman; 'America's Team' Backlash?

FRISCO - Richard Sherman has a theory on Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb. ... and we have a theory on Sherman's analysis of Lamb.

First to the former All-Pro defensive back, and his evaluation of one of Dallas' top stars.

“If you think he’s a bonafide, line up out there at No. 1, then yeah, that’s overrated,” Sherman said of Lamb, then listing his group of best "No. 1'' guys as "Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Ja’Marr Chase, Stefon Diggs, A.J Brown, Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel and Terry McLaurin.”

That's obviously a stellar group, though we can nitpick if we wish. To wit ...

CeeDee Lamb Vs. NFL receivers 

Samuel's numbers this year vs. Lamb's? Lamb has 27 catches to Samuel's 20, has 358 yards to Samuel's 302, and each guy has one TD catch.

And McLaurin's numbers? He's at 25 catches for 261 yards and one TD, so his stats also trail Lamb's. 

But maybe Sherman's view isn't the result of stat study. Is it about "pedigree''? It can't be that; Lamb was a first-round pick who Dallas has as the No. 3 player on its board in his 2020 draft year. Is it about pre-2023 "resume''? That can't be it, as Lamb, made the Pro Bowl in 2021 and 2022 and was a second-team All-Pro last year. ... and he's coming off a season in which he caught 107 balls for 1,359 yards and nine TDs - all "elite'' numbers.

So why, speaking on "Undisputed,'' is Sherman saying, “The conversation (Lamb) is in (should be) with guys like Jaylen Waddle, like Garrett Wilson, Tyler Lockett, Tee Higgins, Brandon Aiyuk, Chris Godwin … Those are really good guys. I’m not saying they’re bad players. I’m saying that’s the caliber of receivers that we’re talking about''?

And why is he saying the solution would've been to retain Amari Cooper rather than to trade dump him to Cleveland, as Dallas did a year ago?

"I guarantee you would rather have (Cooper over Lamb) right now because right now he’s doing great in Cleveland,'' Sherman asserted ... and this is where our theory comes into play.

Critics are allowing themselves to become overwrought over Dallas' 42-10 loss last week at San Francisco. And Lamb is upset, too, as his four catches left him bothered enough that Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy held a meeting with the receiver to calm the waters.

“CeeDee, trust me, no wants him to touch the ball more than I do,” McCarthy said. “CeeDee is an impact player ... Definitely, CeeDee is a premiere player. That's how I view him.''

So is Lamb really shrinking as a talent? Overrated as a player? Or is something else afoot? Consider Sherman's claim that Dallas should "rather have Cooper over Lamb,'' and forget for a moment the reasons the Cowboys moved on from Amari (as CowboysSI.com documented exclusively at the time).

Amari Cooper 'Shrunk': Here's Why Cowboys Traded WR to Browns

Cooper is "doing great in Cleveland,'' said Sherman, somehow oblivious to the fact that Amari this year with the Browns has 18 catches, 259 yards and one TD - again, all numbers that are not superior to Lamb's numbers.

How'd we really get here? The focus on Dallas and the scrutiny of Dallas can cause a critic like Richard Sherman to rattle off his stats ... while knowing nothing about the stats of a receiver who plays in Cleveland. Meanwhile, that focus and that scrutiny creates an "America's Team'' backlash when the Cowboys do lose. Lamb's statistical shortcomings seem larger than the shortcomings of the likes of Samuel and McLaurin and Amari ... even though his actual statistics are superior to theirs.

In short, some aspects of "America's Team'' are indeed so "overrated'' that it's difficult - even for someone as astute as Richard Sherman - to separate "hype'' from "performance.'' And the result here is that Dallas' 3-2 record somehow seems worse than the Browns at 2-2 and the Commanders at 2-3 ... and the Dallas players somehow seem worse as well.