CeeDee Lamb was working out in a Fort Lauderdale gym when he found out he had become the Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver. Lamb said he was caught by surprise March 12 when he saw on TV that the Cowboys had traded Amari Cooper to the Browns.
That elevated Lamb to WR1.
“I was like, ‘Wow, that’s crazy,’” Lamb said on Mike Silver’s podcast, Open Mike. “And then my phone started blowing up literally minutes after. It’s been a crazy story ever since.”
In his second season, Lamb became the Cowboys’ leading receiver. That’s a big reason the team traded Cooper and his $20 million base salary in return for a fifth-round selection.
Lamb had more catches (79) and more yards (1,102) than Cooper last season and scored six touchdowns.
Lamb is ready to take on the new job title in 2022.
“It kind of, in a sense, raised the standard,” Lamb said. “Obviously, I hold myself to a high standard already, but at this moment there’s nothing else you can really do but take it on. That’s the energy I have.”
Lamb has thanked Cooper for taking him under his wing after the Cowboys drafted Lamb in the first round in 2020.
“Just wanted to thank him for everything he had done for me in the first two years,” Lamb said. “Those are real important to me and my direction and trying to find a place in this league where there’s a lot of great receivers. A lot of guys can do a lot of things well in this position. Just giving him his roses for taking me under his wing.”