The Dallas Cowboys play a real football game in 19 days. That also means they have just over two weeks to get their best offensive weapon signed to a contract.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on contract talks with CeeDee Lamb: “I don’t have any urgency to get it done.” Jerry has said a lot of ridiculous things in his life, but what he has said and how he has handled this situation with Lamb is embarrassing.
It is no secret who the biggest weapon will be this upcoming season for the Dallas Cowboys. CeeDee Lamb is one of the top receivers in the game and someone they will lean heavily on throughout the season, like they did in 2023.
Can They Live Without Him?
Jerry Jones wants every player to take a hometown discount and play for less, the funny thing about that is, if the Cowboys start the season without Lamb there, he will get paid after two games.
Remember when Jerry didn’t pay Emmitt Smith back in the early 90s? They got embarrassed the first two games. He then put his money where his mouth was and paid him.
Heck, the Cowboys just went through this in 2018. They had to trade for Amari Cooper in October and that saved the season. This is going to happen all over again if Jerry doesn’t pay the man.
They have one other wide receiver on the roster that has proven something over the years, and yet, that won’t be enough.
If they had a guy like Derrick Henry running the football, I would probably be less concerned, but they will have a running back by committee, this won’t be good.
The Cowboys had a problem finding the end zone a bit the last few years. They converted 40 of their 71 red zone drives into touchdowns in 2023, a rate of 56.3% that ranked 14th in the NFL. Without CeeDee, this might drop to under 50%.
If you think this team will not end up a bottom five offense without him, you are crazy. For a franchise that has had amazing wide receivers, he just set two team records.
Both the receptions (122) and receiving yards (1,651) in a single season, but sure, let’s act like this team will be fine without him.
Pecking Order
Brandin Cooks looks to be having a good camp, but for a team with Super Bowl or bust written all over them, he can’t be your No. 1 guy.
His first season with the Cowboys last year, Cooks finished with 54 receptions, 657 yards receiving, and 8 touchdowns.
Jake Ferguson is in line to have a monster year, he will depended on heavily with or without Lamb.
Ferguson finished second on the team last season in receiving yards, finishing with 761 yards.
Cooks and Ferg will be the go-to guys. If Lamb remains unsigned, then it’ll probably be Jalen Tolbert, who many thought was a bust after he couldn’t even see the field during his rookie season.
Who is after Tolbert, though? KaVontae Turpin’s name is there, but he should be used in anyway they can. Throw him the ball, hand him the ball, etc.
Nobody is going to be scared of Ryan Flournoy or Jalen Brooks.
I don’t see the Cowboys winning 12 games again even if Lamb is out there week one. I do think they will make the playoffs and have road playoff game. They just did not do enough in terms of adding talent this offseason.
Lamb should be the first priority right now and then let Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons worry about their situations at the end of the season. Jerry you need to sign that man.