FRISCO, Texas -- Almost nothing has gone to plan offensively for the Dallas Cowboys in 2024 amid their 4-7 season start to season. Except for the production of 2023 first-team All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Quarterback Dak Prescott is out for the season with a hamstring injury. No. 2 wide receiver Brandin Cooks has missed seven games with a knee injury. Third-year tight end Jake Ferguson hasn't been able to build upon a Pro Bowl year in 2023 while dealing with a nagging knee injury and a concussion. Right tackle Terence Steele's 34 quarterback pressures allowed are the second-most in the NFL, first-round rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton's 12 accepted penalties against him are the second-most in the NFL, and rookie third-round center Cooper Beebe and fill-in quarterback Cooper Rush have dealt with botched snap exchanges in each of the last three weeks. Dallas' run game is the second-worst in the league, averaging just 82.5 rushing yards per game. The Cowboys are averaging 20.1 points per game, ranked 22nd in the league, a year after pacing the NFL with its top scoring offense (29.9 points per game).
Amid all of that, Lamb leads the NFL with 77 catches in 2024 despite missing the Cowboys' entire offseason program while holding out for an eventual four-year, $136 million contract extension. He and Jarvis Landry are now the only players in NFL history with at least 70 catches in each of their first five seasons.
"You just surprised me, I didn't know that," Lamb said Tuesday when told he leads the NFL in catches entering Week 13. "I'm here to work every week. I put my best forward, thank God for every opportunity. Obviously, I lay it all on the line for those guys, and it shows to my play. I don't do too much talking when I'm out there on the field, but that's a good feeling."
Lamb's receiving touchdowns total (four), scrimmage yards total (900) and scrimmage touchdowns total (four) don't rank inside the league's top 10 like they did a year ago, but that doesn't mean he still isn't providing value this season.
"I kinda think it's where we are offensively. CeeDee is a huge, huge asset for our offense, so he's definitely a focal point," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said. "I think if we start throwing numbers around, our numbers aren't very good on offense. ... We're not going to win any statistical battles this year."
| CeeDee Lamb NFL ranks | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Targets | 181 (1st) | 118 (1st) |
Receptions | 135* (1st) | 77 (1st) |
Receiving yards | 1,749* (2nd) | 841 (3rd) |
Receiving TD | 12 (3rd) | 4 (T-24th) |
| Scrimmage yards | 1,862 (2nd) | 900 (19th) |
| Scrimmage TD | 14 (6th) | 4 (T-58th) |
* Single-season Cowboys record
Opening up the offense
Lamb's mere presence alone has created big plays for an offense starved for them: their 31 offensive plays of 20 or more yards are the sixth-fewest in the NFL. Speedster KaVontae Turpin had a 64-yard receiving touchdown off of a slant route in Week 11 against the Houston Texans when Lamb was double-teamed, and tight end Luke Schoonmaker broke free for a 22-yard touchdown on a third-and-5 with under five-and-a-half minutes to play Sunday that put Dallas up, 20-9, late in the fourth quarter at Washington in a 34-26 upset over the Commanders in Week 12. Lamb takes pride in helping create those plays for teammates.
"I love it, I love it, and I can't preach it enough here," Lamb said of teammates scoring when he is doubled. "I tell the guys, 'Make them guard me. If you're going to give me 1-on-1, that's cool. Let me do what I got to do and then at some point, they're going to bring another guy, and then y'all take over, you're 1--on-1.' I know when I first came (in as a rookie in 2020) I obviously had [Amari] Coop[er] and MG [Michael Gallup], so [opponents] couldn't double team anybody. I took it as disrespect. So I kind of told those guys like, 'Bro, if they're double-teaming me, take it as disrespect if they feel their guy can guard y'all 1-on-1 with no help.' That's crazy. So for that, I'm happy for the guys man. I'm always happy. I'm, if not the happiest, when Turp scores."
He's naturally one of the best at drawing double teams in the entire NFL. Lamb's 28 targets when double-teamed are tied for the most in the NFL with Cincinnati Pro Bowler Ja'Marr Chase, per Pro Football Focus, and Lamb's 132 routes run while double-teamed are the second-most in the NFL behind Chase's 170, according to PFF.
"Not to be on any cocky stuff, but I train to be in any kind of position," Lamb said. "Obviously, some of it be a little unfortunate or like triple-teamed or double-teamed. You can't really train for those obviously, but as far as conditioning and running the routes and getting open and blocking, it's tough."
right on 🎯!
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) November 24, 2024
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When Rush sees a defense cloud or bracket their coverage toward Lamb, his eyes light up because he knows there's likely multiple 1-on-1s available for him to target.
"Yeah, those guys know, they get excited. We all do," Rush said. "CeeDee is a special player. He obviously gets attention, and it opens up for those guys. They know it, and they got to go do their job. ... So that's the CeeDee effect. Those guys we have total faith and confidence that they're 1-on-1, they're getting [the ball]."
The most incredible and underrated element of Lamb's 2024 campaign is that he's as injured as he ever has been in a single football season at the age of 25, He's dealt with a nagging shoulder injury he suffered at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9, plus back and foot injuries that have been present on the injury report the last few weeks. However, Lamb maintains that none of that will keep him off the football field, even though it would be easy to pack it in and hope for a better shot at team success in 2025.
"I'm banged up, I ain't even going to lie to you," Lamb said. "It is what it is bro. It's that time of the year in the season. I ain't going to get [into] any specifics, but we straight. As far as for me, the pride is unbelievable. I'm willing to do whatever to go out there and have my presence felt. ... With me being out there, I feel like the guys are more comfortable, and they're able to play as confident and as fast as they want, knowing they get the looks that they want. I'm all for the team winning, if you can't tell by now ... This is definitely one of the toughest years for me body-wise, but that ain't stopping nothing. That's for sure."
