The Dallas Cowboys are feeling the sting of a brutal 7-10 season, as even star players like All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb are starting to get knocked off their perch and ranked below many of their fellow top receivers across the NFL.
Lamb was unable to match the production he put up in past years, while running mates like Philadelphia Eagles star AJ Brown managed to cobble together elite seasons that featured some postseason glory. As a result, the talking heads around the NFL media landscape have started to criminally underrate Lamb while drinking just a bit too much of the Philly Kool-Aid.
Pro Football Focus ranked Brown as the No. 1 wide receiver in the league, beating out the reigning top dog in Justin Jefferson and an All-Pro in Ja’Marr Chase fresh off winning the NFL’s wideout triple crown. Brown’s rise has come in tandem with Lamb taking a slight tumble down the rankings.
Lamb came in sixth place after his production was hurt by the Prescott injury. Lamb coming in behind the Big 3 of Jefferson, Chase, and even Brown isn’t too egregious, but ranking him behind Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown is simply not reflective of the type of player he has become.
PFF ranks Cowboys’ CeeDee Lamb No. 6 wide receiver while AJ Brown is No. 1
Last season, Lamb caught 101 passes for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns. Keep in mind, those numbers came in a year played without Prescott for half of it and had almost nothing in the way of viable alternative skill position players who could help take some of the pressure off.
As good as Brown is, which may be better than Lamb, these two are in no way on equal footing when it comes to the system they find themselves in. One has a great quarterback in Jalen Hurts, a 2,000-yard rusher in Saquon Barkley, and one of the best No. 2 targets in the game in Devonta Smith. The other has had Jalen Tolbert up until Dallas traded for George Pickens.
Brown being No. 1 overall is weighed heavily on PFF’s internal grading metric. Ranking him that high is fine, but putting him over Chase is where the line should be drawn.
Lamb will likely be able to climb up this list with a strong 2025 season, even if Brian Schottenheimer is unable to provide much in the way of schematic excellence. Getting Prescott back will do wonders for Lamb, who has already produced at an elite level in some very adverse circumstances.
