Cowboys Country

Cowboys WATCH: CeeDee Lamb Becoming New No. 1 WR ‘Brick by Brick’

The Cowboys' new No. 1 wide receiver option is showing signs of life after an abysmal start to the season.

Timm Hamm

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The Dallas Cowboys' wide receiver room has undergone a tremendous amount of change since this time last season. … and CeeDee Lamb is trying to make it a change for the better.

“It speaks volumes of us,” Lamb said of 3-1 Dallas’ three-game win streak. “We’re very deep. We play for one another. We’re very resilient. All we can do is keep building this wall, brick by brick, and just keep going.”

That’s “we.” But it’s also CeeDee.

Gone is the former No. 1 option - and a guy Cowboys owner Jerry Jones gave up a first-round draft pick for - Amari Cooper. 

Cooper was shipped off to Cleveland (where he so far has 20 catches for 228 yards and a touchdown), for a fifth-round pick.

With the trade of Cooper, the Cowboys clearly suggested third-year receiver CeeDee Lamb was ready to take over the WR1 responsibilities. But things didn't start out so smoothly for the former Oklahoma Sooners wideout.

The new No. 2 option, Michael Gallup, started the season still rehabbing his torn ACL suffered in Week 17 last season. Joining Lamb on the field were Noah Brown, Simi Fehoko, and Dennis Houston.

Not exactly a list of feared names in the receiver ranks in the NFL.

The Dallas offense struggled through Week 1 against Tampa Bay, and that included Lamb, who was targeted 11 times but had just two catches for 29 yards.

Somewhat less of a performance than what's expected from your new No. 1..

But it's easy to blame the lack of productivity by Lamb on an offense that struggled as a whole that Sunday night. 

In Week 1, Brown led the team with five catches on nine targets for 68 yards. So someone was getting open, just not Lamb. On top of that, Lamb's route running seemed to be lacking something.

Against the Bengals in Week 2, backup quarterback Cooper Rush got the start for an injured Dak Prescott, and Brown once again led the team in receiving with five catches on five targets for 91 yards and a touchdown in the winning effort.

Lamb seemed to be catching on with Rush under center, with seven catches on 11 targets for 75 yards. His route running seemed to improve a bit but still needed work. 

In Week 3, the Cowboys beat the Giants in their first NFC East game of the young season, and Rush was once again in for Prescott. Lamb struggled in the first half of that game and had a significant drop or two.

But the second half was a different story. Lamb was a different receiver.

Lamb had a circus-catch touchdown late in the game that helped the Cowboys to victory, and he hasn't looked back since. He finished the day with eight catches on 12 targets for 87 yards and a touchdown, leading all receivers.

On Sunday against another division rival, the Washington Commanders, Lamb seemed to continue his upward trend, leading the team again with six catches on eight targets for 97 yards and a touchdown in the 25-10 win.

He has yet to eclipse the 100-yard mark for a game this season but is clearly improving as the season goes on. 

Lamb seems to be pretty locked in since his brutal dropped pass in Week 3, and that clearly carried over to Week 4. 

Although Washington's pass defense is among the league's weakest, it's still somewhat reassuring to see Lamb post these numbers with his backup quarterback at the helm, especially after a slow start to the season. 

Lamb will need to keep playing well to maintain his momentum against the Rams in Week 5 and to be respected as a viable No. 1 wide receiver in the NFL long-term.

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Timm Hamm
TIMM HAMM

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