CeeDee Lamb Addresses Drops, Practice Mentality After Criticism During Cowboys' 2025 Season

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb has received criticism in the past for some drops, and he talked with 105.3 The Fan about what he need to do to avoid them in the future (h/t Jon Machota of The Athletic).

"I just gotta focus up. I'm always thinking about a big play. Naturally, it's caught, it's caught, it's caught, it's caught, right? But then it becomes so normal that you lose track of the fundamentals. It always brings me back to square one. Catch, tuck, then make your move. Catch, tuck, then make your move. Catch, tuck, then make your move. "Every single drop has been always taking my eyes off the ball when the ball arrived because I'm automatically thinking I caught it. It's just a way of the game humbling me and bringing me back to square one."

Lamb also provided comments on his practice mentality.

"As many times as I'm targeted, the ball should never hit the ground, whether it's PBU, whether it's a drop, whether it's a bad ball, regardless of what it is. Any time the ball is targeted to me, I consider it a catchable ball. I don't care if the ball is out of bounds. I don't care if it's all the way inside."

Lamb has been fantastic for the Cowboys since they selected him with the 17th overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft. Over six NFL seasons, Lamb has made the Pro Bowl five times and earned three spots on All-Pro Teams (First Team in 2023 and Second Team in 2022 and 2024). He has amassed five straight 1,000-yard seasons and caught at least 101 passes over the 2022-2024 campaigns.

If there is one criticism in his game, it's the drops. Lamb had eight of them last year, tying him for the sixth-most in the league. Granted, Lamb was also targeted 117 times, so it isn't as if this was a frequent occurrence. Still, the drops occurred at some crucial times, including in Week 1 of the 2025 season against the Philadelphia Eagles amid a 24-20 loss.

Lamb is trying a new technique to combat the drops by wearing a beekeeper's net while catching passes at training camp, per Patrik Walker of the Cowboys' official team website.

We'll see if Lamb's focus on eliminating drops works out soon enough when the Cowboys begin the season on Sunday evening, Sept. 13 at the New York Giants.