CeeDee Lamb's 2025 season was overshadowed at times by the phenomenal play of George Pickens. Pickens was named a second-team All-Pro and, at times, looked like the Dallas Cowboys' WR1, even though Lamb never officially surrendered the crown.
Pickens finished with 1,429 receiving yards, third in the NFL behind the Rams' Puka Nacua and the Seahawks' Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
With the season well in the rearview mirror, Lamb did some self-reflection with Mike Florio and Chris Simms of Pro Football Talk, and he admitted that he could've done more to help the team.
"Dak (Prescott) balled out," Lamb said. "I still feel like I could've did a lot more. I had drops, injuries, I didn't finish a couple of games. So, I feel like throughout the season, I played like 11 full games."
Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb was candid about his 2025 season
Lamb's drops were a massive problem early in the year. He had four of them in the Week 1 loss in Philadelphia. The Cowboys probably win that game if Lamb plays better. He finished the season with eight drops, which were the third-most amongst wide receivers, per Pro Football Focus.
No. 88 really cleaned up his act in the second half of the season, however. He didn't record a single drop in the final six games.
Lamb technically had a down year for his standards, but 75 catches for 1,077 yards in 14 games is nothing to sneeze at. He clearly holds himself to an All-Pro standard, but he quietly averaged 85.1 yards per game from Weeks 7 to 17. That's elite production and consistency.
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If this was the season for Lamb to have a so-called "off year," this was it. Pickens had Lamb's back, and the offense largely didn't skip a beat when Lamb was sidelined with his high-ankle sprain.
While Jalen Tolbert had a career year in 2024 serving as the No. 2 behind Lamb, it was painfully obvious that Dallas needed to upgrade the position. The decision to trade for Pickens was a banger, as it gave Dak Prescott another WR1 to depend on while Lamb was on the shelf.
Not even the best players in the world have flawless seasons. What really matters is that Lamb hasn't shied away from it. He's admitted he can be better, and after he made it clear that he doesn't mind if Pickens gets a bigger contract than him, you can safely say he's a team player and a great leader.