When the 2025 regular season began, CeeDee Lamb found himself in the spotlight for the wrong reason: drops.
Eleven weeks later, they're still plaguing him. In the Cowboys' rematch with the rival Eagles, Lamb was again responsible for a handful of drops, ones that came in key spots but thankfully didn't cost Dallas the win this time around.
Still, Lamb's inconsistent hands -- which served him quite well on a highlight-reel catch in the second half but haven't been entirely reliable -- are a concern as the Cowboys attempt to mount a late-season playoff push. He's well aware of the problem and is aiming to fix it for good.
"I gotta lock in on my mentals, man," Lamb said on Tuesday, via the team's official site. "It ain't really too much going on as far as catching the ball. It's not really anybody in my way. I'm the only one guarding myself, I feel like.
"So, yeah, we're gonna fix that. I just gotta lock in, be myself, and do what got me here. I'm in this position for a reason. And I know I'm ready for it."
As Lamb rides a roller coaster with his hand-eye coordination, Dallas' offseason addition to the receiving corps, George Pickens, has thrived. In his last two games, Pickens has caught 18 of his 20 targets for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He's quickly become quarterback Dak Prescott's favorite target, a role long owned by Lamb.
Pickens' rise has seen him claim a commanding lead among Cowboys receivers, racking up 1,054 yards -- the second-most in the NFL behind Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba -- and setting career-high marks in receptions (67) and receiving touchdowns (eight). He ranks in the top three among all NFL receivers in all three categories, producing at a rate that has not only been essential for Dallas' high-flying passing attack, but has also moved him into the spotlight and cast a bit of a shadow over Lamb, the Cowboys' leading receiver in every season from 2021-24.
Lamb isn't feeling any jealousy toward Pickens, encouraging his teammate with the hopes he continues to excel. But as Lamb explained this week, once he stops trying to run before securing passes -- "just thinking of doing two before one," as he described it -- the doubters better be ready to eat crow.
"I just find ways to get better," he said. "I want to be solution-oriented and not really dwell on the problem. Granted, we know the problem -- I need to catch the f---king ball. When I do catch it, just be ready."
One of the main topics of discussion regarding the Cowboys' offseason revolved around their need for a running mate to insert alongside Lamb. The Oklahoma product shouldn't be asked to carry their receiving game for yet another year, not if Dallas truly wanted to realize its Super Bowl ambitions.
Lamb received a real partner in Pickens, and he's been spectacular.
Lamb knows he'll need to improve his game in order to catch up. If he does, the entire Cowboys offense will benefit. It just might be their only hope.
