The NFL is continuing its crackdown on offensive players who lower their heads to initiate contact this season. Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco was hit with a $5,582 fine for unnecessary roughness when he plowed helmet-first into Baltimore Ravens defenders in Week One. Pacheco was fined by the league despite not being flagged on the play by officials. Now, Dallas Cowboys wideout CeeDee Lamb is the latest player to get slapped with the unnecessary roughness fine.
The offending play also involved the Ravens as it occurred during the Cowboys’ Week Three clash with Baltimore. The league fined Lamb $22,511 for leading with his helmet after making a first down grab late in the first quarter, according to NFL insider Tom Pelissero on X. Once again, no flag for unnecessary roughness was thrown on the play.
Another one: The NFL fined #Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb $22,511 for unnecessary roughness/use of helmet on this play. No flag was thrown. pic.twitter.com/twGFsEX04l
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 28, 2024
Lamb can afford the fine – and just about anything else – after signing a four-year, $136 million contract with the Cowboys prior to the start of the 2024 season. The fifth-year veteran led the league with 135 catches for a career-high 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns through the air in 2023, adding 14 rushes for an additional 113 yards and two scores on the ground.
The Cowboys star wideout was named a first-team All-Pro last year and made his third Pro Bowl. He’s up to 20 catches for 316 yards and two touchdowns this season.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb got hit in the wallet for a hit on the field
Lamb wasn’t the only offensive player who got hit in the wallet by the NFL. Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs was fined $45,020 for the same infraction. Jacobs led with his helmet when colliding with defenders during Green Bay’s Week Three matchup against the Tennessee Titans. As was the case with both Pacheco and Lamb, Jacobs’ infraction was not called on the field. The league decided the RB’s actions constituted unnecessary roughness and issued the fine on Saturday.
Both Lamb and Jacobs put their heads down as defenders were closing in, however, neither play appeared to be particularly egregious. Clearly the NFL is cracking down on helmet-to-helmet contact initiated by offensive players. But anyone who’s watched any amount of football prior to 2024 would be hard pressed to find anything particularly wrong with either play.
Given the fact that neither play was flagged for a penalty, it’s likely that the fines came as a surprise to Lamb and Jacobs. Moving forward, plenty of offensive players will be holding their breath each Saturday – the day when the NFL levies fines for the previous week’s games – hoping the league doesn’t single them out with a hefty fine.
