CeeDee Lamb, the wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, has been a prominent player in the NFL for four consecutive seasons. Therefore, his significant drop in this year's NFL Top 100 caught everyone's attention, and PFN analyst Ian Cummings came to his defense. 

Cummings discussed the fall of PFN's Football Debate Club on July 25, 2026. Lamb dropped from 35th to 55th on this year's NFL Top 100 List.

"In my opinion, Lamb's ranking is a little bit more surprising given how entrenched he's been as a top receiver in the league," Cummings said on Football Debate Club on July 25, 2026.

Lamb's dip comes with the arrival of George Pickens in Dallas. In 2025, George Pickens, WR of the Dallas Cowboys, changed the balance of passing by leading Dallas in the big three receiving stats, all while Lamb showed his usual productivity.

Last year, Pickens' 1,429 yards ranked 3rd in the league. Compared to that, in 14 games, Lamb logged 75 catches for 1,077 yards and 3 TDs and placed 11th in the NFL in receiving yards.

Cummings claims that Lamb's drop is even greater than the film confirms, considering Lamb's production.

Cummings also addressed WR Nico Collins, who fell from 32nd to 58th. He indicated Lamb was 21st in PFN's wide receiver impact scoring.

"That was quietly the first year that Collins graded over Lamb in PFN's wide receiver impact scoring, grading 10th overall with a score of 80.5 to Lamb's 78.3," Cummings said on the same episode of Pro Football Network.

Collins made sure to earn that grade, landing 1,117 yards and 6 touchdowns in 15 games. This was the third season in a row that Collins recorded 1,000+ yards, all with a Houston offensive line that was in total disarray.

On his rankings, Collins is 27 and Lamb 28, a tight gap into the NFL Top 100. Lamb's slide only adds more fuel to a dilemma already brewing in Dallas.

Cowboys must decide between George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb long-term

Compared to CeeDee Lamb who has spent six years with the Cowboys, Pickens only arrived from the Pittsburgh Steelers last year for a breakout season. That might just make 2026 more important for the former.

"Yeah, that's kind of where I was going to conclude this is if you do feel like Pickens at 25 has a brighter future than CeeDee at 27, I think this is a big year for CeeDee if you're picking we're only keeping one wide receiver." Gavin Dawson said on 105.3 The Fan.

Pickens currently remains without an extensive contract agreement. He on a franchise tag, with some reports suggesting that Jerry Jones may want to assess his talent before committing long-term.

Meanwhile, Lamb isn't going anywhere just yet. The Cowboys still have him locked in through the 2028 season after handing him a four-year, $136 million extension in 2024, giving Dallas plenty of time to keep him.

Lamb still has the edge in route-running versatility, but if Pickens keeps outproducing him, Dallas will have a real $34 million decision to make on Lamb’s long-term future with the team.

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Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Aadesh Dhote