CeeDee Lamb: ‘The running back position is definitely undervalued’
Yahoo Sports’ Nick Krueger spoke with Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb about the state of the running back position in the NFL, his relationship with Ezekiel Elliott, and his thoughts on Oklahoma’s move to the SEC next season.
CeeDee Lamb joined Yahoo Sports on behalf of BodyArmor.
Video Transcript
NICK KRUEGER: Thrilled to be joined now by Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who joins us in partnership with Body Armor sports drink. And we'll get to that there shortly. But first, Tony Pollard, we know he's under the franchise tag.
A lot of high profile running backs, him included, are considering maybe sitting out some of training camp as they've got a discussion going on with what running backs should be paid. Do you have a stance on-- where do you fall on the value of these guys, a guy like Tony, a guy like Saquon, and their situation right now?
CEEDEE LAMB: High caliber players. I mean, the running back position is definitely undervalued, but because you ask so much out of them. And ultimately, you do what you love, and that's to play football. But you also got to look at it as a business aspect.
Like, you're putting your body on the line every Sunday, Monday, or Thursday. Like, at the end of the day, you're going to walk away from this game, and running backs is taking the most brutal beating besides d-linemen and linemen who are continuously battling and crashing every play. Running backs is definitely the next step up. And I do feel like they should get what they deserve.
NICK KRUEGER: One of the guys that was on your team that is kind of out there waiting to see what his next opportunity is going to be is Ezekiel Elliott. How close was your relationship with him when he was on the team? How is it now?
Have you spoken to him? What do you feel like his prospects are heading into next season?
CEEDEE LAMB: Great relationship. He was one of the first guys who actually took me in when I got drafted and invited me over. We chilled, kind of helped me get acclimated in the offense, especially coming in during COVID.
So it was not your average draft. You know, and I-- I still have a great relationship with Zeke. We chopped it up today earlier. And I work out-- we worked out together. My man is in great spirits. He looked great. I just pray he gets picked up soon, whether it's with us or without, and a [INAUDIBLE] for my man.
NICK KRUEGER: Switching gears a little bit, let's talk a little bit about college football. Obviously, you had a great career at Oklahoma. Sooners are heading into the SEC not this season, but next. What do you think about that change in conference? And do you wish you could have played through an SEC schedule?
CEEDEE LAMB: Absolutely. Granted, we played an SEC school every-- I mean, we lost, right, three years in a row that I was in college in the playoffs. But we put up pretty much, besides my last year, about 30 points, 35 points every game that we played in the playoffs.
And I would have been excited to compete in the SEC level. But I'm excited for those guys-- new challenges. It's a whole new league now. You got to do a lot of things different. You got to recruit different. So I'm excited to see how them guys are going to turn out.
NICK KRUEGER: All right, and just to wrap things up before we go, let's talk a little bit about your relationship with Body Armor. Talk about what they mean to you and your workout plan on a regular basis.
CEEDEE LAMB: Yeah, no, I've been with Body Armor for-- since I got into the league, since my rookie year. So it's been a great relationship with them, looking to continue it.
The hydration has definitely been there. I can't thank them enough for the support throughout my whole career. Looking forward to more.
NICK KRUEGER: All right, CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys, thanks for taking the time. Good luck this season.
CEEDEE LAMB: Likewise. Appreciate you.
