OXNARD, Calif. — Jerry Jones has already indicated the Cowboys will pay CeeDee Lamb the big-money contract he’s earned when the time is right.
Lamb, entering his fourth season, won’t have to worry about finances because sooner or later he’ll sign a contract extension that likely averages about $28 million per season.
So he can focus on moving from one of the NFL’s top 10 receivers to one of the top five. You won’t get much argument from well-versed NFL coaches or general managers if you rank Miami’s Tyreek Hill, Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown, Las Vegas’ Davante Adams, and Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs as the league’s top five receivers. The order doesn’t matter.
Those five receivers averaged 109 catches for 1,592 yards with 10 touchdowns and 24 receptions of 20 yards or more and six catches of 40 yards or more.
Lamb finished his third season with 107 receptions for 1,359 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s improved each of the three seasons since Dallas took him with the 17th pick of the first round. He evolved into a No.1 receiver last year when Dallas traded Amari Cooper to Cleveland before the season.
Now, he’s ready to make a leap in production that will move him into the conversation of the game’s best.
“Man, a successful year to me is winning the Super Bowl,” Lamb said. “Regardless of what my numbers are — obviously, I need 1,000 (yards) plus — I want a ring.”
He’s talking about a Super Bowl ring, something the Cowboys haven’t earned since Super Bowl XXX.
How CeeDee Lamb will fit into new Dallas Cowboys’ offense
The Cowboys have made tweaks to their passing game with coach Mike McCarthy in charge after persuading Jones to let him run the offense instead of Kellen Moore, who is now the Los Angeles Chargers’ offensive coordinator. McCarthy has added elements of the West Coast offense to the passing game. In this offense, Lamb will catch more passes running horizontally across the field, creating more opportunities to run after the catch. Lamb, a good punt returner, is a dangerous open-field runner.
Lamb averaged just 12.7 per catch. And he was the only player among the league’s 22 1,000-yard receivers without a reception of more than 40 yards. That’s odd considering he was among the league leaders with 24 catches of 20 yards or more.
“I know that I didn’t put my best foot forward. I didn’t put my best out there,” Lamb said earlier in training camp. “Listen. I ain’t have Dak a whole season. That’s all I’m going to say.”
In five games without Prescott, Lamb averaged five catches for 68 yards and scored two touchdowns. He did not have a 100-yard game. In 12 games with Prescott, he averaged five catches for 84 yards and scored seven touchdowns with five 100-yard games.
“Dak and CeeDee have definitely established an excellent foundation. It’s not only what they do on the field but what they do off the field,” McCarthy said. “CeeDee has grown in our locker room as a leader. Dak is obviously a leader, so their football connection is very strong.”
He’ll also be surrounded by better players such as Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup. Cooks, acquired in a trade with Houston, has had 1,000-yard seasons with four different teams and remains a big-play threat. Gallup, coming off the worst season of his career, caught 39 receptions for 424 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games.
Gallup tore his ACL in the final regular-season game of 2021. He missed the first five games as he recuperated, and it took several more games for him to trust the joint and play freely.
If teams double-cover Lamb, the Cowboys will have two players capable of beating man-to-man coverage and making big plays. The more plays they make, the more room Lamb will have to operate.
The Cowboys will continue moving him from outside to the slot with regularity, making it difficult for defenses to get a pre-snap read on where he’ll line up. This year, receivers are required to learn every position, which will help Lamb take advantage of mismatch opportunities through formation.
The Cowboys rarely did that under Moore. They relied more on players winning one-on-one battles. This year, they’ll use more schemes.
“I’m looking to be better,” Lamb, “catches to yards and touchdowns, so expect a lot.”
Jean-Jacques Taylor is an NFL Insider for Sportsnaut and the author of the upcoming book “Coach Prime“, with Deion Sanders. Follow him on Twitter.