OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott divides receivers into two categories. CeeDee Lamb is in the second one.
Lamb has caught passes from Prescott longer than any receiver on the roster. Dallas drafted him 17th overall in 2020, four seasons after Prescott arrived.
“I think it’s how it’s always been, and honestly, there’s always work to do,” Prescott said. “We’ve played the longest together of anybody else. And that just, we need more communication, because we’ve seen certain things. We’ve attacked a defense, maybe the same defense, two different ways.”
Lamb ran the highest percentage of deep routes of his career last season at 19.7%, according to NFL Next Gen Stats.
“He’s the definition of what I say, a rule book guy and a guideline guy. He’s a guideline guy,” Prescott explained. “And so those guidelines, you got to make sure you’re always communicating them and what he’s doing. And if not, you’ve got to go back to the rule book, and you never want to do that with a talent and a person like CeeDee.”
Prescott said neither of them sees the connection as a finished product, even entering their seventh season together.
Seven Seasons Together
This will be Lamb’s seventh season with Dallas. His contract runs through 2028 after the four-year, $136 million extension he signed in August 2024, with $100 million guaranteed.
Lamb has made the Pro Bowl in each of the last five seasons. His biggest year came in 2023, when he caught an NFL-high 135 passes, earned first-team All-Pro honors, and set Cowboys single-season records for receptions and receiving yards, finishing with 1,749.
Lamb is 27. He was born in Opelousas, Louisiana, and played at Oklahoma.
Coming Off The Quietest Year Of His Career
Lamb caught 75 passes for 1,077 yards and 3 touchdowns in 14 games last season. A high ankle sprain and a concussion cost him time.
The 3 touchdowns were a career low, and the 1,077 yards were his fewest since his rookie season. He led all receivers with 8 drops.
The season still extended his 1,000-yard streak to five. Michael Irvin is the only other player in franchise history to do that.
George Pickens finished ahead of Lamb in every receiving category in his first Dallas season, with 93 catches for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns. Pickens is playing this year on a $27.3 million franchise tag, the only player in the NFL on one.
Dak Prescott Is Not Playing In The Preseason
Prescott hasn’t played in a preseason game since 2019, and that will continue Saturday at Arizona. Brian Schottenheimer said Aug. 3 that Dallas plans to hold most of its starters out of all three exhibitions.
Prescott started all 17 games last season. He completed 404-of-600 passes for 4,552 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
The Cowboys finished 7-9-1 and missed the playoffs for a second straight season despite ranking second in the NFL in total offense.
Dallas wrapped up its Oxnard work Thursday. The Cowboys are at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday, then return to Frisco for open practices at Ford Center at The Star on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26.
Dallas closes the preseason against the New Orleans Saints on Friday, Aug. 28, at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m. CT. The Cowboys open the regular season Sept. 13 at the New York Giants.
