NFL Top 100: Which 3 Cowboys Get 1st-Half Ranking?
The Dallas Cowboys might've fallen in their preseason opener on Saturday night in Denver but a few summer victories have tricked in thanks to NFL Network's annual ranking of the league's top 100 players.
With half of the list unveiled and the first week of 2022 exhibitions in the books, three Cowboys appear in the first 50. Receiver CeeDee Lamb and offensive lineman Tyron Smith rank in the 90s (95th and 92nd respectively) while patient fans got to see Zack Martin move up to No. 68.
Lamb makes his first appearance in the Top 100 (first introduced in 2010) while Smith returns after a one-year absence to make his eighth showing overall.
The former is fresh off his first 1,000-yard season as a sophomore receiver out of Oklahoma and will likely become the Cowboys' top target after the offseason departure of Amari Cooper. He's the first receiver unveiled on the list while Smith is the first blocker. It's a welcome return to form for Smith, who endured several ankle injuries from the year before. Smith's highest ranking on the list was 18th after the 2016 campaign.
"The former (USC) Trojan hasn't played a full season since 2015, missing at least three games in each of his last six seasons," Smith's accompanying captions notes. "A healthy Smith will be key if Dallas wants to make any noise in the postseason."
Meanwhile, Martin is the Cowboys' highest-ranked representative for the time being and makes his sixth consecutive appearance. Much like Smith, he likewise overcame injuries to shoot up the board. His 17 moves forward (ranking 85th on the prior edition) is third-best amongst appearing in the first half, behind only No. 54 Jeffery Simmons of Tennessee (+24) and Philadelphia center Jason Kelce (+21) at No. 71.
"Thanks to a return to full strength after a calf injury robbed him of six games in 2020, the eight-year veteran recently logged his seventh campaign as a Pro Bowler and fifth as a member of the AP All-Pro Team," Martin's caption lauds. "Those accolades are expected at this point for a potential Hall of Famer. He's one All-Pro season away from trying another legendary Cowboys guard, Larry Allen."
The next match of players, from Nos. 50 to 31, will be unveiled on Sunday afternoon on NFL Network.
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