Earlier this week, the Dallas Cowboys placed wide receiver CeeDee Lamb on the Reserve/Did Not Report list.
Lamb has been holding out for a new contract and did not report to camp in Oxnard two weeks ago. Supposedly, negotiations had looked promising.
So, what changed to necessitate this move now?
The Preseason Opener Nears
The Cowboys will be playing the Rams this Sunday to open the preseason at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
The game begins at 3:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. out in California) so the team will likely hop a bus for the 66-mile journey from Oxnard.
It should take about 75 minutes. But given they will travel the 101 and 405 freeways, they might want to leave around 7:30 in the morning to make sure.
From personal experience, there is never a good time to travel on the 405.
With a game looming, and Lamb still back in Texas, the Cowboys needed to make some roster moves. By putting Lamb on that list, it opens roster space.
It also opened cap space. At least temporarily – assuming Lamb does sign and returns.
The Cowboys waited as long as they could before making the move, having made recent offers to both Lamb and Prescott.
Neither offer has been accepted.
Impact On Negotiations
In reality, it doesn’t impact them at all.
Even though Lamb is on the Reserve/Did Not Report list, the two sides can still talk. Though the move would indicate that the two sides remain far apart.
If a deal were imminent however, it seems likely Lamb wouldn’t have been moved to this list.
There could also be more to the move than just a temporary roster fix too. It could be a signal to Lamb that the Cowboys are prepared to begin the regular season without him.
In the camp’s first two weeks, we’ve seen impressive work from receivers Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, and even free agent veteran Tyron Billy-Johnson.
And Dallas does have Brandin Cooks. He provides much-needed veteran leadership for the younger players.
Have the receivers in camp been impressive enough to make Jerry Jones think they can start the year without Lamb?
It wouldn’t be the first time Jones has made such a gamble.
Emmitt Smith 1993 Redux
In 1993, after the Cowboys had routed the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII, Emmitt Smith held out for more money.
Jones said no. He kept saying no through training camp and the first two games of the season.
After an 0-2 start by an offense stuck in dried concrete, Jones changed his tune.
Smith returned in the third week as a backup, then started the rest of the way toward a second-straight championship.
The good news for me was – because of Smith’s holdout – rookie Derrick Lassic got to start the first three games of that season and I got to be on his rookie card.
Okay, just my legs got on the card, but still. Tell you what, I digress and that’s a post of its own for another day.
The point is, Jones clearly lost that particular game of chicken with his star player 31 years ago.
Is he prepared to try it again in 2024 with Lamb?
More importantly, is this a short-term strategy? Or is this a sign of things to come in Dallas?
Is Jones Ready To Move On?
Assuming a deal isn’t reached and the Cowboys head to Cleveland next month to open the season, all eyes will be on the receivers.
If they have a great game, then Lamb loses some negotiating power. And quite a few dollars.
If they struggle and the Cowboys start off 0-2 – as they did in 1993 – the all the heat fall on Jones.
Lamb’s contract numbers probably will go up even higher with a two-loss start to what must be a make-it-or-break-it season.
Unless…
Could the fact that no deals have been finalized with Lamb or Prescott be an indicator that Jones is ready to let both move on?
Possibly. Such a strategy would seem to indicate that Mike McCarthy is coaching in his final year in Dallas too.
As far as how such a strategy impact Micah Parsons and his potential contract extension, who knows?
No matter what is being said by all of the parties involved, it has to be taken with a grain of salt.
In this case actions speak louder than words. As of right now, Lamb is not on the roster.
Someone else is filling his spot there.
This wasn’t quite what we thought Jones meant when he said he was “all-in” earlier this year.
If these contract negotiations were a game of poker, however, we’d definitely say the Cowboys just went all-in with this move.