There weren't many teams last year that had a better one-two punch at wide receiver than the Cowboys.
The league's No. 1 scoring offense, Dallas saw second-year receiver CeeDee Lamb take a step further to establishing himself as a true top receiver, while Amari Cooper was a reliable target, hauling in a team-leading eight touchdown grabs (tied with tight end Dalton Schultz) and securing 65.4 percent of his targets.
Even the team's third receiver, Cedrick Wilson Jr., had a standout campaign as the No. 3 guy, catching 45 passes for 602 yards with six touchdowns.
But as Dallas prepares to host the Buccaneers to wrap up the first Sunday of the NFL season, the depth is not where it used to be. Cooper was traded to the Browns, and Wilson walked in free agency to sign with the Dolphins.
There's no reason to expect any fall-off from Lamb as he heads into his season at just 23-years-old, but there are some questions as the team goes further down the depth chart in Dallas. The Sporting News takes a look at the supporting receivers around Lamb heading into the 2022 season.
Cowboys WR depth chart
Starters
CeeDee Lamb
During his first season with the Cowboys, Lamb caught 74 passes for 935 yards with five touchdowns. He built on that in a big way in 2022, hauling in 79 passes for 1,102 yards. ProFootballFocus graded him as the eighth-best receiver in the NFL.
Lamb offers plenty of much-needed versatility for the Cowboys, particularly after losing Wilson, the team's primary slot receiver from a season ago. As a rookie, Lamb tallied 93.2 percent of his snaps in the slot, but lined up more outside in 2022, logging 56.4 percent of his snaps out wide.
In addition to where he lines up, Lamb was also dangerous at all ranges, recording more than 15 percent of his receptions at each level of the field, each finding plenty of success.
| Depth (yards) | Target% | PFF Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Deep (20+) | 21.6% | 97.5 |
| Medium (10-19) | 25% | 99.4 |
| Short (0-9 yards) | 37.1% | 94.9 |
| Behind LOS | 16.4% | 71.7 |
Especially after the team lost both Cooper, a dangerous receiver out wide, and Wilson, a slot receiver who specialized in short passes, Lamb will be used heavily by Dak Prescott in all situations.
Michael Gallup
Michael Gallup was coming off back-to-back strong seasons in his second and third seasons with the Cowboys, having caught 66 passes for 1,107 yards and six TDs in 2019 and 59 receptions for 843 yards and five touchdowns in 2020. But a calf injury cost Gallup seven games, and a torn ACL ended his season in Week 17.
Heading into his fifth year with Dallas, Gallup will be counted on to take up a big role in the offense in 2021. Cooper was a major presence on the outside, and Gallup should shoulder some of that missing production. Gallup has lined out wide 90.2 percent of his career.
He's been especially dangerous as a deep receiver. Gallup earned a 95.5 grade from PFF on deep passes in 2021 and has never earned a grade lower than 92 in his career at that range. The Cowboys are hoping he continues that trend in 2022 and remains an explosive playmaker on the outside.
Jalen Tolbert
Thrust into starting action right away, Jalen Tolbert certainly faces plenty of pressure in his rookie season. Drafted in the third round out of South Alabama in 2022, Tolbert caught 82 passes for 1,474 yards and eight touchdowns in his final year with the Jaguars, catching the Cowboys' attention as he prepared for the NFL.
Tolbert lined up almost exclusively outside during the first three years of his collegiate career, but saw a major increase in his slot snaps in his final year. He had just 1.6 percent of his snaps in the slot in 2020, when he recorded his first 1,000-yard receiving seasons, but saw that number spike to 33.7 percent in 2021.
That doesn't mean Tolbert will line up in the slot all the time for the Cowboys in 2022, but it gives them the option as they try to find different ways to get him involved in the offense. Like Lamb, his target depths were spread out at more than 27 percent at each range from short and deep. His progression and use in 2022 could go a long way toward determining how deep this Cowboys' offense is.
Backups
Noah Brown
Noah Brown has seen his usage in the offense steadily increase over the past two seasons, recording 14 catches for 154 yards in 2020 and 16 catches for 184 yards in 2021, but he has most often been useful as a blocking receiver along the outside. But Brown could see a further uptick in usage heading into the 2022 campaign.
Dennis Houston
An undrafted free agent, Dennis Houston cracked the team's 53-man camp in his first preseason after leaving Western Illinois. With the Leathernecks, he caught 90 passes for 1,015 yards with six touchdowns in his final season and was named to the first team All-Missouri Valley Conference. He caught only three passes for 43 yards in the preseason, but with his physicality, he could be a solid red-zone target.
Simi Fehoko
If the Cowboys are looking for a physical receiver to take a step up, Simi Fehoko could be the top guy for that. Standing an imposing 6-3, 220, he only appeared in five games a season ago in his first year since leaving Stanford, but saw more extensive usage this preseason. Expect to see him record his first NFL catch in 2022 — and then some.
Injured
James Washington
With the departure of Wilson, Washington was largely expected to be one of the primary slot receivers for Dallas, after he saw 40.3 percent of his snaps lined up in the slot a season ago. But in August, he sustained a fractured foot, ruling him out for six to 10 weeks. He could still return early in the season, but since he was placed on the injured reserve, he will miss at least the first four games of the season.
