CeeDee Lamb Makes His 60-Second Case For The Dallas Cowboys As 2026 Contenders

OXNARD, Calif. — CeeDee Lamb made his case for the Dallas Cowboys as a 2026 contender during an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, walking through the offense first and then the rebuilt defense position by position. The interview aired Friday morning on Shan & RJ. Bobby Belt posted a clip of the argument Thursday.

Dallas finished 7-9-1 last season and missed the playoffs for a second straight year. The Cowboys ranked second in the NFL in total offense. Their defense finished last in scoring at 30.1 points allowed per game. Dallas also finished last in passing yards allowed at 251.5 per game, 30th in total defense, and 23rd against the run.

CeeDee Lamb On The Dallas Cowboys Offense

Lamb finished the 2025 season with 75 receptions for 1,077 yards and 3 touchdowns in 14 games. A high ankle sprain and a concussion cost him time. The 1,000-yard season was his fifth in a row, and he joined Michael Irvin as the only Cowboys receivers with five straight.

Eight Cowboys were named to the Pro Bowl for the 2025 season, the most of any team in the league. Dak Prescott, George Pickens, Quinnen Williams, left guard Tyler Smith, and kicker Brandon Aubrey were the initial selections. Lamb, Jake Ferguson, and KaVontae Turpin were added later as injury replacements. Tyler Smith was the only offensive lineman in the group.

Lamb said the offensive line is young and has meshed as a group.

“For one, I want to say for five of the seven years that I’ve been in the league, we’ve had a top-three offense,” Lamb said. “We can start with the offense, and then we’ll go to the defense. You go look at every playmaker. Last year, we had a top-five in pretty much every category. We had two Pro Bowlers on the [offensive] line. We had a tight end that went to the Pro Bowl, a QB that went to the Pro Bowl, two receivers that went to the Pro Bowl. Our running back (Javonte Williams) went 1,100 [yards] last year. Our tight end was very phenomenal, right? O-line as a group, very young, they’re meshing together.”

Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards in his first season with Dallas. He is playing the 2026 season on the franchise tag at $27.3 million. Ferguson caught 82 passes for 600 yards and 8 touchdowns in 17 games. Javonte Williams carried 252 times for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns, then signed a three-year extension worth $24 million.

Christian Parker’s Rebuilt Dallas Cowboys Defense

Dallas hired Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker on Jan. 22 to replace Matt Eberflus. Parker is 34 and the youngest defensive coordinator in franchise history. He spent the previous two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach under Vic Fangio. Philadelphia allowed the fewest passing touchdowns in the NFL in 2025. Cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean were named first-team All-Pro under Parker last season.

The Cowboys are converting from a 4-3 front to a 3-4 under Parker. Dallas used five of its seven draft picks on defense in April. Caleb Downs went No. 11 overall after a trade up one spot with the Miami Dolphins. Malachi Lawrence went No. 23 overall after a trade back three spots with Philadelphia.

The roster turnover started before the draft. Dallas acquired Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets on Nov. 4 for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick, and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. The Cowboys traded a 2027 fourth-round pick to the Green Bay Packers for Rashan Gary in March. Kenny Clark arrived from Green Bay in the Micah Parsons trade last August and started all 17 games.

Lamb said keeping DeMarvion Overshown healthy is what matters most at linebacker.

“So now the problem that we had last year, I want to say that we had the 32nd-ranked defense,” Lamb explained. “You go add the No. 1 [defensive] tackle in Quinnen Williams. Then you pair him up with a duo, so they can’t triple and put all the focus on him. So you got Kenny Clark, right? Then we go get Rashan [Gary], and then we draft another guy in Malachi Lawrence, and then we still have [Donovan Ezeiruaku]. So we have a plethora of guys, right? And then our backers, we got to keep [DeMarvion Overshown] healthy. I feel like if he’s healthy, he’s one of the best backers. Sideline to sideline, there’s not many people playing with him. Dee Winters just came off 100 tackles last year because Fred Warner went down, right?

“And then our DBs are being coached by our defensive coordinator [Christian Parker], who does a great job. I feel like in the past couple years that he had with [Philadelphia], he’s the main reason for their success,” Lamb explained further. “For one, guys are playing comfortable. Guys are good in their own skin, and I feel like he’s done a great job of transferring that. Over here, he’s getting the guys comfortable. You can see he’s playing to their strengths and he’s giving them the help that they need. Then you go draft a guy like Caleb Downs. Caleb Downs is a very elite player. He’s a roamer. He can play this. He’s very versatile. He’s a swiss army knife, right? And you put all those things together. You have a great DC. Then you have a great OC. You just gotta go out there and do it.”

Dallas sent a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for Dee Winters on April 24. Winters started all 17 games for San Francisco last season and finished with 101 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 5 passes defensed. He also returned an interception 75 yards for a touchdown. Fred Warner suffered a season-ending ankle injury in October.

Donovan Ezeiruaku enters his second season after 40 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks across 17 games as a rookie. Overshown returned to practice Thursday after leg soreness kept him out Tuesday. Downs signed his rookie contract in May, and Lawrence signed a four-year deal worth $20.2 million on June 5.

Camp in Oxnard runs through Aug. 18. Dallas practices against the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday in Woodland Hills, California. The Cowboys open the preseason at the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, with kickoff set for 7 p.m. CT on NFL Network. The regular season begins Sept. 13 at the New York Giants, with kickoff at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.