As Lamb rides a roller coaster of hand-eye coordination, Dallas’ secondary in the receiving corps, George Pickens, has thrived. In his last two games, Pickens has completed 18 of 20 targets for 290 yards and two touchdowns. He has quickly become quarterback Dak Prescott’s favorite target, a role Lamb has long held.
Pickens’ rise has seen him dominate among Cowboys receivers, racking up 1,054 yards — second most in the NFL behind Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba — and career highs in receptions (67) and receiving touchdowns (8). He ranks in the top three among all NFL receivers in all three categories, producing at a pace that has not only been essential to Dallas’ high-flying passing attack, but has also thrust him into the spotlight and cast a slight shadow over Lamb, the Cowboys’ leading receiver every season from 2021-24.
Lamb feels no jealousy toward Pickens and encourages his teammate with the hope that he will continue to excel. But as Lamb explained this week, when he stops trying to run before securing passes — “just thinking about making two before one,” as he put it — the doubters better be ready to eat crow.
“I just find ways to get better,” he said. “I want to be solution-oriented and not really dwell on the problem. Sure, we know the problem — I’ve got to catch the f—king ball. When I catch it, just be ready.”
One of the main topics of discussion heading into the Cowboys’ offseason revolved around their need for a running back to slot in alongside Lamb. The Oklahoma product shouldn’t be asked to carry the receiving game for another year, not if Dallas really wanted to realize its Super Bowl ambitions.
Lamb got a real partner in Pickens and he has been phenomenal.
Lamb knows he needs to up his game to catch up. If he does, the entire Cowboys offense will benefit. It might just be their only hope.