Nick Eatman:It was expected, however, that CeeDee would eventually be in camp—possibly with a new contract—when we formulated this list of options.
It appears that signing a contract would be the first thing he would need to do, since we sit here a few days before camp starts and there’s still no deal. We all believe that it will end before it lasts too long, I believe.
So let’s just set aside the contract negotiations and wish for success. Regarding the field, I believe Lamb will likely have an even better season and that his stats will definitely decline.
That’s just the nature of things when discussing elite athletes. Increased success brings attention, and teams will most doubt try even harder to remove him once that happens.
That doesn’t preclude him from having a great year, though. If Cooks and Ferguson both flirt with 1,000-yard seasons and have a more well-rounded offense thanks to a better running game, then CeeDee should bear the brunt of that. Thus, even though the figures don’t reflect it, I believe he will be even more valuable.
Nick Harris:What is the realistic capacity of CeeDee to accomplish after recording the best receiver season in team history? It’s difficult, but Lamb has room to improve because the offensive scheme will be far more at ease to begin the season than it was at the beginning of the last one.
There will undoubtedly be a lot more defensive attention paid to 88, but if the other weapons can perform well and keep Lamb in isolated situations, I think he has a good chance of getting open against some of the league’s top players.
Mickey Spagnola: Not only has he delivered three seasons in a row with 1,000 yards or more in receiving, although missing a fourth straight season by 65 yards his freshman year, but he is also constantly trying to become better.
While it may be nitpicking, CeeDee did have five games in 2023 with season lows of four receptions. It should be noted that he established franchise single season records with 135 receptions (leading the NFL) and 1,749 receiving yards.
Even if the odds are in his favor, don’t let that happen. Maintain the upward trend in touchdown receptions as well; in his four seasons, he has caught five, six, nine, and twelve touchdowns. The bar is undoubtedly high, but the truly exceptional people continue to raise it.
Kyle Youmans:For one of the NFL’s best wide receivers, winning the AP Offensive Player of the Year title is all that remains to be done. He was voted in third place for the award last year, behind only Christian McCaffrey of San Francisco and Tyreek Hill of Miami.
Lamb’s historic 2023 season was jam-packed with statistics and amazing moments. That won’t be insurmountable, though. Over the course of his NFL seasons, he has improved in all the key categories, reaching career highs in receiving yards, touchdowns, and receptions.
That is a trend that will unavoidably stop. But he’ll prove himself as the finest in the league if he can keep it up for another season.
Patrik Walker: He is capable of doing more. Let me clarify. Though it’s reasonable that some will argue that more here equals less elsewhere in the offense, there’s no justification for starting to purposefully back off of Lamb at this point.
If triple teams create opportunities for Jalen Tolbert/Jalen Brooks/KaVontae Turpin, Jake Ferguson, Brandin Cooks, and KaVontae Turpin and let them to arise naturally, then so be it.
However, nothing would enrage me more than to uncover the fundamental secret of elevating Lamb to the status of perhaps the league’s top wide receiver while purposefully avoiding heavy targeting of him.
He has now proven that he can play all three wide receiver positions. His strength lies in making huge plays, but he also doesn’t mind putting in some grunt effort to block players downfield.
I believe keep the party going, and Lamb just needs to make sure that moving forward, consistency is a must. Kurt Daniels: Please, keep it up. Lamb finished first and second in the NFL in the same categories in 2023, setting club records for catches and receiving yards in a season.
He also finished third in touchdown grabs. which naturally resulted in him being selected to the Pro Bowl and first team All-Pro.
The only things that might prevent him from reaching those kind of stats are if he skips training camp and takes more time to get going, if Dak Prescott is hurt, or if they play against some more formidable opponents overall in 2024.
However, Lamb is undoubtedly among the best wide receivers in the game, so it is reasonable to anticipate another All-Pro performance from him. Yes, the Cowboys are.
