CeeDee's 'The Man'! How's Cowboys Lamb Rank vs. Key Coverage?
According to a new breakdown, the work that Dallas Cowboys' receiver CeeDee Lamb did against man coverage was at the forefront of the wideout emerging as one of the NFL's best pass catchers in his third season.
Pro Football Focus recently unveiled their highest-rated receivers against man coverage during the 2022 season, and Lamb finished in a tie for second place with a 90.7 grade:
"Lamb primarily played from the slot, which you typically face a lot of underneath zones to get open. However, Lamb showed up when the defense tried to man him up as well – bringing in 32 catches for 458 yards and three touchdowns.
"Lamb posted a 2.90 yards per route run figure, which ranked eighth when facing man coverage, and he ranked the exact same when facing zone coverage as well. Of Lamb’s 167 total targets, just 45 of them were against man coverage schemes, but he managed to gain 23 first downs on his 32 receptions."
Ja'Marr Chase of the Cincinnati Bengals also finished with a 90.7 grade, tied with Lamb for second place on the list. The receiver who earned the highest grade against man coverage in PFF's system was Amon-Ra St. Brown of the Detroit Lions. If you need an idea of how close Lamb was to the top spot, St. Brown claimed the No. 1 ranking with a 90.8 grade.
It does feel like you can't mention Lamb without comparing him to A.J. Brown of the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles. On our CowboysSI.com preseason rankings, Lamb came in as the No. 8 receiver in the NFL, a spot behind Brown. But in terms of their work against man coverage a season ago, PFF says that Brown finished with a slightly lower grade than Lamb at 90.4.
Of course, great production at the receiver position ultimately leads to a mega contract. Brown received a four-year/$100 million deal that guarantees him $57.2 million on the way in the door after the Eagles acquired him from the Tennessee Titans. Because Lamb was a first-round pick, the Cowboys were able to exercise his fifth-year option, setting him up to make just shy of $18 million in 2024. But if Lamb has another monster season, you can bet he'll look to surpass the deal that Brown received from the Eagles.
You can follow Tim Kelly (@TimKellySports) on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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