'There's Nothing He Can't Do!' Cowboys Coach Mike McCarthy Reveals CeeDee Lamb Secret to Record-Breaking Season
When the Dallas Cowboys selected CeeDee Lamb in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, it started a journey for the newest member of "Club 88" as our own Mike Fisher coins it.
Since then, Lamb has been on a steady rise to being one of the league's best receivers and now, is on the verge of being named as such.
After he broke the single-season franchise records for receptions and yards against the Detroit Lions as he hauled in 13 catches for 227 yards and a touchdown, Lamb's place in Cowboys history is cemented...just four seasons into his career.
In 16 games, Lamb has totaled 1,651 yards and 10 receiving touchdowns (two rushing TDs as well) as he has ascended to heights that are becoming of a player wearing the famous No. 88.
“When you look at CeeDee, obviously he's extremely gifted in so many ways,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “Physically there's really nothing that he can't do.”
McCarthy is right - Lamb is gifted in several areas.
His speed, ability to make tough, contested catches, his route tree mastery, and his versatility have all been on show this season.
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As such, Lamb is only 66 yards behind Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill for the league's leading receiver, and with Hill facing the Buffalo Bills in Week 18 and Lamb coming up against a Washington Commanders defense that gives up 259.3 passing yards per game (ranks 31st), there is a chance that Lamb could overtake Hill.
For McCarthy, he knows why Lamb has been so successful this season.
“His ability to play inside and outside, it just makes him so versatile," McCarthy said. "I think his versatility is a big part of his success because he has a extensive route menu ...
"And then the person. ... he's such a competitive athlete and loves the opportunity, he never blinks. So he's exactly what you're looking for.”
When did QB Dak Prescott know all of this was possible?
"From the day he showed up," Prescott said of Lamb, picked in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. "I think he has emerged as maybe the best receiver in the league at this point."
No doubt, this kind of production was what the Cowboys were looking for when they drafted Lamb, and now he has emerged as a star of the league, thanks in part to McCarthy and the "Texas Coast Offense."
While Lamb is getting all the plaudits right now (rightfully so), there are bigger things on the horizon for the Cowboys - starting with the Commanders on Sunday.
Eventually, this will also be about CeeDee's contract. He's got one more year on his deal but there are plans for an offseason extension that could pay him $30 million APY - and maybe making him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history.
"Ideally, yeah, for sure," Lamb said of being paid highly. "(But) at the end of it all, I got a goal in mind and that's to get a ring. At the end of that, then we'll start talking about everything else. I'm focused on this and then we'll get on that."
