The Dallas Cowboys are coming off a much-needed victory over the New York Jets on Sunday afternoon. But what made the win even more impressive was that Dallas didn’t have CeeDee Lamb on the field.
Lamb missed his second straight game due to a high ankle sprain suffered during the team's Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears. While the Cowboys' offense has impressed with Lamb sidelined, having put up 77 points over those two games, fans are eager to know when they’ll have their superstar receiver return.
Although the Cowboys won’t have an official injury report for their Week 6 matchup against the Carolina Panthers until Wednesday, Stephen Jones provided the latest on the star wide receiver on Monday morning, suggesting Lamb could be among a group of players that could return “within the next two weeks,” according to Cowboys team reporter Tommy Yarish.
Cowboys Get Encouraging News on CeeDee Lamb Ahead of Panthers Game
The group mentioned by Jones included offensive linemen Tyler Booker, Tyler Smith, and Tyler Guyton, as well as fellow receiver KaVontae Turpin. But Lamb is the headliner as one of the most explosive playmakers on Dallas' roster.
Lamb was off to a strong start to the 2025 campaign, catching seven passes for 110 yards in the season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and could have done even more damage had he hauled in a few key passes in the second half of that game. Lamb rebounded from Week 1's drops to catch nine passes for 112 yards in a win over the Giants before suffering the ankle injury on a running play during the first half of their loss to the Bears.
The injury was initially downplayed before the medical staff stepped in with the official diagnosis. Since then, Lamb has been chomping at the bit to get back on the field. Monday’s comments made to 105.3 The Fan in Dallas were some of the first positive ones during Lamb’s recovery, as Jones didn’t completely rule Lamb out of Sunday’s game before the Cowboys returned to the practice field.
At this point, it’s a matter of risk and reward. Getting Lamb back on the field would be great news for the Cowboys' offense. It always behooves a team to have its best players in uniform and available to play. George Pickens has stepped up as a top target with Lamb recovering from this ankle injury, though, catching 10 passes for 191 yards and three touchdowns in the time Lamb has missed.
Dallas may also be able to defeat the Panthers without Lamb. Having that type of production available from Pickens gives Brian Schottenheimer and the coaching staff the option of being extra cautious with Lamb, if they feel that is the best course of action. While Carolina has a top 10 pass defense at 204.4 yards per game this season, it is also surrendering the NFL’s 12th-highest net yards per pass attempt clip at 6.5 yards. Teams have also had an early advantage on the Panthers this season, leaving Carolina’s defense untested after facing just 153 attempts (22nd in the NFL).
The safer play would be to rest Lamb and have him return the following week for an NFC East showdown against the Washington Commanders. At the same time, having Lamb on the field would be the easiest way for Dallas to avoid any potential offensive letdown against Carolina. It’s a storyline that will continue to be discussed throughout the week and could ultimately lead to Lamb making his long-awaited return.