Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb clears concussion protocol, not dwelling on re-injury risk for 'Sunday Night Football'

FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb cleared concussion protocol on Thursday, which is how he was able to be a full practice participant ahead of Dallas' "Sunday Night Football" matchup with the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15. 

Lamb is now tracking toward a return to football 10 days after suffering a concussion on "Thursday Night Football" at the Detroit Lions in Week 14. His brain injury occurred when his head slammed into the Ford Field turf on an end zone target in which he attempted to make an acrobatic, one-handed catch. Lamb exhibited a fencing response in the immediate aftermath of his concussive blow to the head as his hands and fingers began to make unnatural movements. 

Despite that moment and it being brought up to Lamb that Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins went right back into concussion protocol in Week 14 against the Buffalo Bills in his first game back from a concussion, he doesn't have any apprehension about the 10-day turnaround from his concussion to his return. 

"Man, nah, in a situation like that, bro, as far as getting hurt or getting a concussion, it's not like you're thinking about, 'Oh, what if? What if I get hurt again?' I feel like if you live in that realm and you feed that fuel, it's going to happen," Lamb said after practice on Thursday. "You don't want to live in a realm like that's never going to happen again. Really, it's [about] staying level, just being positive about each and every opportunity you get and just staying blessed. You have to go out there first and play your game and don't really think too much on it. I've been hurt a couple times and I don't dwell on it. I hit my head a couple of times. I don't dwell on it. You have to move on. It's a part of the game. That's why playing football is very important, and that's why taking care of your body is even more important."

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Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott immediately ran up to Lamb on the field in Detroit in the immediate aftermath of the concussion, which is when saw his top target's initial fencing response. That was a cause for immediate concern in the 10-year veteran's eyes, but Prescott isn't worried about Lamb's return on Sunday against the Vikings 10 days later after seeing how he's practiced. 

"Yeah, zero concern. Obviously on the field, you see a guy whatever they call that, his hands getting into that formation [a fencing response] right? Whether it's your brother, teammate or somebody on the other team, you don't want to see that. So yeah, obviously there was some urgency to get him help then, but then actually when I got over there, he was almost right back to it. I was like 'you good?' He's like 'yeah,'" Prescott said Thursday. "You just could tell just for a moment [that Lamb was out of it]. He was back at it Monday, doing light stuff and working out. From there, I was positive in the way that he would respond, and he's been great."

The 26-year-old All-Pro claims he hasn't suffered from any residual effects or symptoms regarding the concussion, which is why he's confident in being able to play without concern on Sunday night after completing the protocol.  

"Process has been cool. Obviously, it's been a lot of eye work and eye discipline and trying to, I guess, frustrate myself essentially to see if I have any more residuals of the concussion. And I haven't had any type of symptoms," Lamb said. "As for me now, it's been heavy on rest, to be honest. Doing everything, me knowing my requirements, kind of getting ahead of everything, especially with the extra 2-3 days that we had off. I feel like that was big."

Hard Knocks' latest episode on Tuesday showed Lamb begging trainers to keep him in the game while being helped off the field with him saying "Let me play." When the injury happened early in the third quarter of an eventual 44-30 Dallas defeat, Lamb was on fire with 121 yards receiving on six catches. He claims to "remember everything" from when he suffered his concussion, which is why he asked the training staff to let him play. However, Lamb acknowledged this instance was one where he needed to be protected from himself. 

"They're doing their job, and obviously me as a competitor, I want to do mine. But it's times where they do have to protect me from me. That was the situation to where that was one of them. I felt like I was having a pretty good game," Lamb said. "I was just kind of getting started and getting it cooking. ... But again I'm happy for the training staff. I'm happy for everybody that's reached out. ... It was a surreal moment for me and myself and really just a quick experience. It was an opportunity for me to grow up. ... Overall, just always be grateful for each and every opportunity I can step out there."

As a result, Lamb has been practicing with the Guardian cap over his helmet in practice this week, something he said he had been doing since switching to a new helmet recently. However, he won't be wearing it during game action like Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs does for a simple reason. 

"It's not comfortable," Lamb said. 

With just 135 yards receiving across Dallas' final four games, Lamb will join Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Irvin (1991-1995) as the only players in Cowboys history with 1,000 yards receiving in five consecutive seasons. At 6-6-1, Dallas will need much more than that total from Lamb over the next four weeks to somehow backdoor their way into the postseason.