CeeDee Lamb is already moving up the charts for Dallas receiving records

CeeDee Lamb has fully delivered over his first three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. He not only enters 2023 as the clear number one receiver and one of the best in the league, but Lamb is poised to move into some auspicious air among the all-time receivers in franchise history.

Lamb has consistently improved his numbers from his rookie year forward. He finished 2022 with 107 receptions, 1,359 yards, and nine touchdowns; all career highs. In fact, his reception total was the third-highest mark in team history and the receiving yardage was fifth highest.

This immediate production has quickly moved Lamb up Dallas’ all-time leaderboards. He’s already 18th all-time in receptions, 16th in yards, and 17th in touchdown catches. Even if he never played another snap, Lamb’s career numbers put him in the same range with guys like Terrell Owens and Amari Cooper who had short, but highly-productive, runs with the Cowboys.

If Lamb can keep his momentum going in 2023, he moves much further up those lists and into more rarefied air. With even just 100 catches next season, Lamb (currently at 260) would pass TE Jay Novacek for ninth all-time. He’s also in striking distance of some other big names in team history.

• 6th – Tony Hill 479
• 7th – Tony Dorsett 382
• 8th – Bob Hayes 365
• 9th – Jay Novacek 339
• 10th – Cole Beasley 319

Even with a down season, Lamb should at least clear Beasley and Novacek’s marks and enter the top 10. He could easily move past Hayes as well, and might even threaten Dorsett if he really goes off next year.

It’s a similar landscape on the all-time receiving yards list. Lamb’s current total of 3,396 yards puts him in range of some significant former Cowboys if he simply maintains status quo.

• 7th – Frank Clarke 5,214
• 8th – Miles Austin 4,481
• 9th – Amari Cooper 3,893
• 10th – Doug Cosbie 3,728

Barring any missed games, Lamb should easily pass Cooper for the ninth spot by the end of next season. He also has a strong shot at catching Austin for eighth all-time, needing less than 1,100 yards to do it.

One area where Lamb’s career stats haven’t been as glamorous is touchdowns, having 20 over the last three seasons. While being 17th on Dallas’ all-time list is still nice, he won’t simply waltz into the top 10 this year. Here’s what Lamb’s up against:

• 9th – Terrell Owens 38
• 10th – Miles Austin 34
• 11th – Lance Rentzel 31
• 12th – Doug Cosbie 30

Having never scored 10 touchdowns in a single season thus far, Lamb suddenly having 14 to catch Austin might be a stretch. It’s certainly doable; Davante Adams had 14 for the Raiders last year. But given the diversity of the Cowboys’ offense, the scoring wealth generally gets spread around too much for Lamb’s touchdown numbers to spike.

That said, the departures of Ezekiel Elliott and Dalton Schultz could redirect some of those scoring opportunities toward Lamb. We’ll also have to see how Kellen Moore’s exit as offensive coordinator changes the production trends.

Nevertheless, there’s no denying that CeeDee Lamb has already been one of the better receivers in Dallas’ history. Even if he just plays out his current contract through 2024, Lamb should only be trailing legends like Michael Irvin, Drew Pearson, and Dez Bryant on those all-time lists. It’s just more proof that the Cowboys knew what they were doing when they gave him that #88 jersey.