The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver trio of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup are widely considered to be among the best in the NFL. Before Dak Prescott‘s season came to an abrupt end in 2020, they were all well on pace to achieve their goal of each recording 1000 yards receiving for the season. With an extra game on the schedule in 2021, and hopefully a healthy Dak Prescott, that goal will be much more attainable this season.
There is no question that the big three are all talented pass catchers and each of them brings a unique skill set to the fold. Cooper is renowned for his route running ability. Gallup is a legitimate deep threat who excels at making contested catches down the field. Meanwhile, CeeDee Lamb appears to be more of the total package and he is poised for a break out season which could make him a certified NFL superstar. Yet, for all of their individual talent, I do wonder how well those three really do compliment each other. Like all players, they all do have their deficiencies and among those deficiencies in my opinion is their ability to block. All three are willing to do the job but none of them truly excel at it. CeeDee Lamb was touted to be a great blocker coming out of college but his size was a roadblock for him in his rookie season and he was often flagged for being over aggressive in order to compensate. Perhaps now that he has put on some weight in the offseason, that part of his game will improve. The best blocking wide receiver on the roster is Noah Brown but it would be difficult to justify giving him more opportunities and keeping any one of the big 3 receivers off of the field just for his blocking ability.
Beyond the big three, there is a major drop off in talent among the depth pieces at wide receiver. The aforementioned Noah Brown as well as Cedrick Wilson are both very good players but neither has truly had an opportunity to prove themselves as capable starters. If either of them are called upon to do the job if one of the big three is forced to miss time, there is not a strong body of work to show that they can step up if need be. Rookie WR Simi Fehoko rounds out the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver depth chart. Fehoko is a promising player who may have opportunities on special teams but needs quite a bit of development before he can be trusted to contribute offensively. That is to say, when your starting receivers are of the quality of Dallas’ trio, a drop off in talent is to be expected.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode