FRISCO, Texas -- For a good portion of the Dallas Cowboys' 2024 season, not much went right during their 6-8 start that included a five-game losing streak.
All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is one of the few bright spots on offense. Dallas lost quarterback Dak Prescott (hamstring tear) for the season after their Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons, future Hall of Fame right guard Zack Martin is done for the year with an ankle injury and the Cowboys have been starting rookies at both left tackle and center. Despite all that, Lamb remains in the running for his second All-Pro selection in a row with both the third-most catches (94) and receiving yards (1,089) in the entire NFL in 2024.
"I'm prideful in everything I do, right," Lamb said Thursday. "All the work that I put in in the offseason, it's showing fruition. For that, I'm grateful. I'm going to continue to do that, and that's the person that I am, the player that I am. Very dedicated to my craft. Obviously hardworking, and I'm willing to pull out a dub. If that's that me going for 100 yards or 50 yards, whatever, the case may be, whatever it takes, I'm with it."
All his work since being selected 17th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft has him in position to pass the NFL's all-time leading receiver, Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, for the fourth-most receiving yards in a player's first five seasons. He needs just 131 receiving yards in his final three games of the regular season, something he is on pace to easily clear since Lamb is averaging 77.8 receiving yards per game. That's the fifth-most in the league this season.
"That's tough. I was not expecting that one either. Y'all are hitting me with haymakers today," Lamb said. "Obviously, everything Jerry's done for the league and for this game man, it's a huge honor to be even remotely close to him within the first five years. All the success that he's had, shout out to him. Obviously, he's the G.O.A.T at my position. So with that, take it with a grain of salt and keep it going."
| Most Receiving Yards In NFL History, First 5 Seasons | Receiving Yards |
|---|---|
Justin Jefferson (MIN) | 7,142 |
Torry Holt (STL) | 6,784 |
Randy Moss (MIN) | 6,743 |
Jerry Rice (SF) | 6,364 |
CeeDee Lamb (DAL) | 6,234 |
Julio Jones (ATL) | 6,201 |
A.J. Green (CIN) | 6,171 |
Lamb will also need to remain upright and avoid hard falls to the turf the last three weeks in order to surpass Rice since he is battling an AC joint sprain in his shoulder. However, the 25-year-old doesn't mind putting his body on the line for the Cowboys, even in a down year. His diving, 14-yard touchdown catch on an underthrow by fill-in quarterback Cooper Rush in Week 15 at the Carolina Panthers exhibited high-level concentration and body control, impressive in it's own right, but it's doubly notable considering he had to land on his shoulder to make the play.
"That guy is a warrior," Rush said Thursday. "He is out there playing his butt off. He's catching the ball, running the ball. I don't think people realize how good after the catch he is. Strong. A couple of those screens he's taken for chunks. On that particular play, yeah one on one. That's not an easy catch. A little underthrown, just try to put some air on it and give him time to see it. It's still underthrown, and for him to make that adjustment is incredible."
Given Lamb's health status, Rush and the rest of his Cowboys teammates are holding their breath every time he tumbles down to the ground, collectively exhaling when he pops back up to his feet.
"When he hops back up, it's all good," Rush said. "Take as much time as you need down there [on the ground], but hop back up."