Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb deserves more respect from around the league following ESPN's latest WR rankings

Dallas Cowboys star CeeDee Lamb is easily one of the NFL's top wide receivers.

However, according to many around the league, he doesn't quite crack the top three.

In ESPN's latest wide receiver rankings for 2024, scouts, coaches, and executives voted on the best wide receivers and concluded that Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, and Ja'Marr Chase are the NFL's top three.

That leaves Lamb coming in at No. 4 on the list .

"He was able to move around the formation more this year, specifically outside, and he consistently won in critical situations over the course of the year," an NFL scouting director said of Lamb. "He proved to be a do-it-all receiver. Has great hands and outstanding pace to his routes and setup that gives defensive backs problems."

Lamb enters this season fresh off of hauling in a league and career-high 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023. He earned his third Pro Bowl nod and was nominated to the NFL's First-Team All-Pro list for the first time in his career.

Possibly his most impressive stat from last fall, as ESPN notes, are his 80 catches that went for first downs, best for second in the league. He also led the league with 680 yards after the catch.

These overall ESPN rankings could end up being another freezing-cold take by 2025, because, unlike the guys who currently rank above him, Lamb doesn't have much competition on the Cowboys roster when it comes to competing for targets.

So, once his contract situation is cleared up , you can expect Lamb to embarrass the experts in 2024.

The Latest on Lamb's Contract Holdout

The latest on Lamb's contract holdout is not a good sign for fans hoping to see him at training camp. It was recently reported that Lamb is expected to skip training camp if no deal gets done prior, per Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News .

"For the second consecutive year, there’s a possibility a key starter will hold out of training camp," Watkins reports. "Lamb missed the entire offseason program and is expected to miss training camp if he doesn’t get a new deal."

Lamb missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp as he awaits his big payday, but skipping training camp could cost him a $50,000 fine per day.

We'll see what happens soon when the Cowboys officially report to Ford Center on July 25.

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