After logging his second straight limited practice on Thursday, Cowboys No. 1 wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is trending toward a Week 7 return. Lamb has been out since he suffered a high ankle sprain in a Week 3 loss to the Bears. The Cowboys opted against an IR placement and a mandatory four-game absence for Lamb, though, and it appears he’ll play Sunday against the division-rival Commanders.
“I feel like I’m moving around, running around being me,” Lamb said (via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). “Happy as can be obviously just believing in my ankle. Obviously, I feel like it’s back to where I needed it to be.”
Lamb entered 2025 off three straight years of 100-plus catches and 1,100 or more yards, and he carried that production into the early going this season. The four-time Pro Bowler nabbed 16 catches for 222 yards in the Cowboys’ first two games, though his ankle sprain forced him out of the Chicago loss before he could record a stat.
The Cowboys still managed to put points on the board at a high clip without Lamb, scoring 104 during his three-game absence. They only went 1-1-1 during that span, though. They’ve started an underwhelming 2-3-1 thanks to a defense that ranks last in the NFL in yardage allowed and second from the bottom in points surrendered. Owner Jerry Jones hasn’t ruled out a significant trade to upgrade the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons-less defense before the Nov. 4 deadline. Bengals superstar pass rusher Trey Hendrickson is a potential target.
Months before he sent Parsons to the Packers in a late-August blockbuster, Jones made another noteworthy deal in acquiring receiver George Pickens from the Steelers in May. Lamb’s injury has prevented him and Pickens from playing together as much as hoped, but they could comprise one of the league’s premier pass-catching duos for the rest of the season.
Like Lamb, Pickens has formed an excellent rapport with quarterback Dak Prescott. Already with 32 catches, Pickens is tied for first in the league in receiving touchdowns (six), and he ranks third in yards (525). The Prescott-Lamb-Pickens trio could be a problem for Washington’s 23rd-ranked pass defense on Sunday.