National Football League

Is CeeDee Lamb ready to be the Cowboys' No. 1 receiver?

Published May. 5, 2022 5:35 p.m. ET

Amari Cooper wasn’t the Cowboys’ best receiver last year. But for the past four years, he’s been Dak Prescott’s favorite.

Now that Cooper is in Cleveland, the onus falls on CeeDee Lamb to be Dallas’ go-to target. That begins with Lamb and Prescott building a better rapport.

"CeeDee Lamb is more talented than Amari Cooper," Skip Bayless said on "Undisputed." "For some reason, CeeDee and Dak [haven't clicked]. I don’t know why."

Will Dak Prescott, Cowboys miss Amari Cooper's production next season?

In the wake of Amari Cooper's trade to the Browns, all eyes are on former first-round pick CeeDee Lamb.

The two aren’t on different pages entirely. Lamb just made the Pro Bowl, after all, and led Dallas in receiving with 79 catches for 1,102 yards. While drops have undermined his first two years in the NFL, the former first-round pick has more than flashed his elite potential. His 13.9 yards per catch in 2021 were also a team-high.

Moving forward, the 23-year-old Lamb will not only need to be more consistent but more competitive without Cooper running alongside him.

"You’re about to find out if CeeDee Lamb is ready to be the No. 1," Shannon Sharpe said. "He’s about to get everybody’s No. 1 (cornerback). We’re about to find out because all of that attention was going to Amari."

A lot of it might funnel toward Lamb for the early part of the season, as Michael Gallup works his way back from a torn ACL. The Cowboys drafted Jalen Tolbert in the third round last week for added depth, though, he could be pushed into a starting role sooner rather than later.

If Jerry Jones traded for Baker Mayfield, would Skip start him over Dak Prescott?

Skip Bayless responds to a listener question and reveals who he'd start between Baker Mayfield and Dak Prescott if both quarterbacks were on the Cowboys' roster.

It leaves a lot of questions about a receiving corps that was among the league’s very best a year ago. Dallas deemed that depth untenable, largely because of the price tag. Cedrick Wilson departed for the Dolphins and a three-year, $22.05 million contract. Cooper was traded for just a fifth-round pick but also major salary-cap relief. He was the NFL’s highest-paid receiver last season at $20 million.

"He doesn’t live up to it, he doesn’t produce up to it," Bayless asserted. "But the scary part is, Dak loved him. Dak had a vibe with him and sort of a spiritual connection with his route running."

How Prescott connects with his revamped supporting cast, and Lamb in particular, could go far in determining what route the Cowboys' season takes.