CeeDee Lamb Reportedly Has 'Chance' to Return from Injury for Cowboys vs. Commanders

The Dallas Cowboys may get their star wide receiver back for Sunday's game against the Washington Commanders.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Wednesday that CeeDee Lamb "has at least a chance" to return from the high ankle sprain that sidelined him for the last three games. 

"My understanding is it's not a sure thing, this is probably right around the time when at least it's possible," Rapoport said. "They did not put him on injured reserve, actually never had plans to put him on injured reserve. They wanted to keep this window open."

Lamb suffered the injury early in the Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears. The offense never bounced back from his absence and ended up scoring just 14 points.

However, the unit was much better in the three ensuing games when it entered play knowing he would be out. Dallas put up 40 points in a tie with the Green Bay Packers, 37 points in a win over the New York Jets and 27 points in a loss to the Carolina Panthers.

For as excellent as Lamb is as an individual playmaker, the Cowboys' biggest problems have come on the defensive side of the ball during their 2-3-1 start to the season.

Dak Prescott has found success targeting George Pickens and Jake Ferguson with his No. 1 option sidelined, and Ryan Flournoy even emerged as a candidate for more playing time with 114 receiving yards in the win over the Jets.

▶️ Full Cowboys-Jets Recap

05:33

Still, the offense will be much better when Lamb returns, especially since opposing defenses won't be able to commit too much attention to both him and Pickens at the same time. Lamb is one of the best receivers in the league when healthy and is coming off four straight Pro Bowl appearances.

He also tallied at least 1,100 receiving yards in each of those four seasons and led the NFL with 135 catches for 1,749 yards and 12 scores in 2023.

Sunday's game against the Commanders carries additional weight seeing how it is a divisional contest. The winner will move into second place behind a Philadelphia Eagles team that has been anything but consistent of late. 

Having Lamb back on the field would give the Cowboys a much better chance to pick up a key NFC East win and put up enough points to overcome their own questionable defense that may struggle against Jayden Daniels and Co.