Lamb, Brown, Smith, McLaurin headline NFC East WR rankings in 2024 (2024)

For the best local news, sports, entertainment and culture coverage, subscribe to the Austin American-Statesman.

Sep 25, 2021; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver Malik Nabers (8) runs the ball while defended by Mississippi State Bulldogs cornerback Emmanuel Forbes (13) during the fourth quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

With a better quarterback, this Giants receiving corps could be one of the better ones in the NFL. Even before the addition of possibly the best receiver in the draft, this unit had plenty of potential. New York employs two second-round picks in slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson and deep threat specialist Jalin Hyatt, Darius Slayton has had four seasons with over 45 receptions and more than 700 yards, and veteran possession receiver Allen Robinson II was just added to the group.

With the addition of Nabers, the players are there, Brian Daboll has always run a good, quarterback friendly offense, but with Daniel Jones throwing the football the receivers might never hit their potential. It is possible the receivers on New York aren’t that good and their struggles aren’t all about the QB, and because of that the Giants are last in the division at receiver going into this year.

Oct 2, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) cannot catch a pass in the fourth quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

Washington, Dallas, and Philadelphia all have similar receiving corps with two solidified starters, and then young guys the teams are trying to develop into producers on the field. The Commanders come in behind the Cowboys and Eagles because McLaurin and Dotson aren’t as good a duo as the ones in Philidelphia and Dallas. Two years ago, McLaurin had an argument for being the top receiver in the division along with Cooper, but with the emergence of Lamb and resurgence of Brown, he is closer to Cooks than them.

As a rookie Dotson was a big-play receiver with seven touchdowns and over 14 yards per catch, but last year he put up less yards and touchdowns while catching 14 more passes. The options behind those two are slim with rookie Luke McCaffrey and third-year Dyami Brown leading the way in potential. McLaurin still had over 75 receptions and 1,000 yards – his fourth straight over the millenium mark, and Dotson still has the playmaking ability, so hopefully a more talented QB in rookie Jayden Daniels can bring out more from this duo.

The Commanders have suffered from the same issue as the Giants, with a lack of quality QB play, only they actually did something about it.

Dec 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Brandin Cooks (3) celebrates with Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) after making a touchdown catch during the second half against the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas has the best receiver in the division in Lamb, as he competes with Tyreek Hill, Justin Jefferson, and Ja’Marr Chase for the title of best receiver in the game. He improved in receptions, yards, touchdowns, yards per catch, first downs, success rate, catch percentage, yards per game, and even had his longest reception ever of 92 yards. Lamb led the league in catches, 16 ahead of second place, and was second in yards and touchdown receptions, their is no argument to keep him from the top spot in the division.

Dallas would be the best receiving corps in the NFC East if it was only about the top option on the team. Cooks is an excellent second option and after a slow start he was productive with over 12 yards a catch and eight touchdowns, and he is still younger than his QB, Dak Prescott. That pairing is one of the better groups in the NFL. Behind them are complete unknowns in rookie Ryan Flournoy, third-round pick Jalen Tolbert, 2023 training camp standout Jalen Brooks, and then gadget guys like KaVontae Turpin and Deuce Vaughn, the latter newly added to the receiver room. If one of the unknowns develops into a consistent contributor then Dallas could overtake.

Eagles WR AJ Brown catches a touchdown in front of Cowboys CB Stephon Gilmore in Week 9.

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles have one of the top receiving duos in the league. A.J. Brown is a top-level No. 1 target who was in contention as the best playmaker at the position in 2022 when he put up 88 catches for almost 1,500 yards and 11 scores. Last year he became more of a possession option, adding nearly 20 more receptions, but having less yards and touchdowns. He might not be Lamb, but he is in that second tier at the position, and is really close to his division rival.

Smith has lived up to his top-10 draft status averaging 80 catches, over 1,000 yards and six touchdowns in his first three seasons. Lamb actually had very similar numbers in his first three seasons, so it is very possible that Smith would put up 1,500 yards on 100 receptions and double-digit scores if he was the first option on a team. Philidelphia has two legitimate No. 1 options putting them on top of the NFC East, not needing much behind that. John Ross and Parris Campbell are reclamation projects, and Johnny Wilson a height/weight draft pick.

The Eagles have two receivers who would be the top guy on many other teams in the league and Dalla has one of the top five receivers in the NFL, but it doesn’t hurt that both receiving corps have All-Pro quarterbacks throwing to them.

The other two teams have talent at the receiver position that might be held back by the guys under center. If Daniels upgrades the receiving corps with his ability in Washington, or Nabers is so good, he raises the play of the of the other guys around him, then next year maybe those two teams are able to move up the ranking because of their first-round picks.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter@cdpigletor YouTube on theAcross the Cowboys Podcast