Category: CeeDee Lamb

Jerry Jones backpedals on ‘no urgency’ slight to Cowboys’ negotiations with CeeDee Lamb

From @ToddBrock24f7: Jones took another crack at explaining why the preseason opener has had no bearing on getting a new contract for WR CeeDee Lamb.

I know what I said, but here’s what I meant…

That’s effectively the gist of Jerry Jones’s latest comments regarding the ongoing contract talks with All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. The Cowboys owner took to the airwaves on Sunday, shortly before the team’s preseason opener versus the Los Angeles Rams, and attempted to clarify his remarks made days prior that made the wrong kind of headlines.

“I think I got in trouble a little the other day when I said, ‘Look, we’re not urgent about CeeDee,'” Jones said from the sideline of SoFi Stadium.

Jones’s “no urgency to get it done” line set Cowboys Nation ablaze, as many observers took those six words as the entire story. The owner was- apparently- viewing Lamb as a completely expendable commodity, and the quote was- it seemed- only further proof that the billionaire cares more about securing his bottom line than he does a sixth Lombardi Trophy by paying his best athletes.

Taken in full context of the question he was actually asked, though, Jones’s answer was about whether the beginning of the preseason added any pressure to getting a deal done with Lamb.

That makes a lot more sense, but the genie was already out of the bottle in the media, and the drama in Big D raged on.

Even Lamb weighed in on the socials, albeit with a possibly knowing, possibly cryptic, definitely understated “lol.”

On Sunday, Jones reaffirmed Lamb’s importance to the Cowboys, but he also reiterated that rushing a deal through last week wouldn’t have changed anything about the team’s preseason lineup in L.A.

“No one appreciates CeeDee being on the field any more than I do,” Jones explained. “But let me say this: he wouldn’t be taking a snap out here today if he’d been here [for all of camp.] You’ve got to use your head when you expose key players. That gives the other younger players a chance to do it. We know exactly what CeeDee can do. He’s worked out with Dak, and so we wouldn’t have him out here. It has really not anything to do with his contract; Dak won’t be out here this afternoon.”

Jones has a history of putting his foot in his mouth at times, especially when pressed about a superstar who’s in a high-stakes contract negotiation. His knee-jerk response is often to try his hand at levity. But die-hard Cowboys fans- and often the players whose livelihoods are on the line- generally don’t find jokes about their paydays funny.

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Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones had tried to tamp down the flames on Friday by assuring fans that there was “zero thought process in not having CeeDee being a Dallas Cowboy.” The delay, the younger Jones said, was business, not personal.

But it was still important for the elder Jones to, personally, clear the air after his flippant remarks came across very differently.

And just like when Jones’s “Zeke Who?” zinger caused a firestorm of controversy back in 2019, the owner on Sunday looked right into the camera lens to directly address the latest player who may or may not have been offended this time.

“I understand completely the angst that’s happening,” Jones said, “and someone says anything about whether you’re missed or not. Well, CeeDee, you’re missed.”

Just not on Sunday, where he would have been standing around in street clothes anyway.

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Stephen Jones: ‘Zero thought process in not having CeeDee being a Dallas Cowboy’

From @ToddBrock24f7: Stephen offered a calm counterpoint to Jerry’s comments regarding the All-Pro WR’s contract status, giving fans hope that a deal is coming.

While Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was riling up the fanbase with his flippant comments about the lack of urgency in getting a new deal done with All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, his son Stephen was telling a slightly different story.

The younger Jones, the team’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, made it clear that the Cowboys are in no way preparing for life without Lamb.

“Zero thought process in not having CeeDee being a Dallas Cowboy,” he told Ed Werder and Matt Mosely on Thursday on The Doomsday Podcast.

But then, with his very next words, he immediately reminded the world that Lamb is already locked in for 2024.

“CeeDee can’t go play anywhere. He’s under contract, and we have franchise tags available, so CeeDee’s not going to be playing anywhere but Dallas. But we want this to be a great situation for him when we’re all said and done, but also a great situation so we can put a great football team on the field.”

Stating Lamb’s contractual status in such stark terms won’t win any brownie points, but it’s the cold, hard truth.

And the other 90 guys who are actually in camp were, in fact, more of a focus this week as the team made a procedural roster move that raised a few eyebrows. Lamb was placed on the Reserved/Did Not Report list on Tuesday, but Jones explained that the purpose of the re-designation was to open a temporary spot for a defensive depth player, and that nothing more should be read into it.

“I don’t think it says anything,” he said. “We just knew we had that roster spot, and when [Lamb] reports- which we certainly believe he will, at some point- hopefully with a new contract. We continue to make progress. Things are very cordial.”

Cordial, perhaps, because nothing at all has really happened of late. Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that Lamb’s agent has been in Paris at the Olympics and just returned to the States.

It’s possible, then, that the lack of urgency has been on both sides of the negotiating table.

Jones admitted that Lamb’s extended no-show means the timing between him and quarterback Dak Prescott may have taken a minor hit, but he knows that the two have put in work together over the offseason. And with their connection entering its fifth year, it’s not like they’re just getting to know one another on the football field.

The upside, Jones says, is that the team’s younger wide receivers- including Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Cropper, David Durden, Tyron Billy-Johnson, and Jalen Brooks- have gotten reps they might not have seen otherwise. That will only help the club with whichever pass-catchers eventually make the regular-season roster.

But coming to new financial terms with the team’s trio of superstars is nevertheless high on the front office’s to-do list, Jones maintains.

“It’s a great situation to have, but it’s challenging when you have one of the top quarterbacks in the league and then you’ve got two of the best non-quarterback players in the league, Micah Parsons and CeeDee Lamb.

“It’s a negotiation that we’re obviously having to work hard at because you also, at the end of the day, want to be able to put some other players [on the field]. Those three guys can’t go out and play the game by themselves.”

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Of course, most Cowboys fans will quickly point out that without any of those three players in uniform and on the field, the team’s chances of winning games on anything resembling a regular basis absolutely craters.

The stage seems set for a late-camp announcement on a new deal for Lamb, similar to the one that brought guard Zack Martin back to Oxnard in mid-August of last year, or the record-breaking extension that running back Ezekiel Elliott signed in September 2019 after an even longer holdout (that itself seemed rather contentious, at least until Jones and Elliott were peddling T-shirts making fun of that whole “Zeke Who?” saga).

There’s still plenty of time for a deal to happen. The Cowboys are notorious for delaying as long as possible, dominating the summer news cycle with breathless will-they-or-won’t-they conjecture and then swooping in to look like heroes right before things get real, both saving their cash-cow players (who weren’t going to play in the preseason anyway) from any possible exposure to injury and using the break to develop their newbies.

And this time, it’s Stephen Jones who is suddenly the voice of reason, giving Cowboys fans cause to hope that the offseason of dragging their feet has simply been part of a larger plan.

“It’s certainly something that’s very doable, and we plan on doing it, because we want all three players here and we think we have the best chance to win a championship by having those three players on our roster.”

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Cowboys’ Lamb replies to Jones’ nonchalant contract approach in 3 letters

Jones said his piece to a gaggle of reporters. Lamb made things social. | From @KDDrummondNFL

This is fine.

The Dallas Cowboys are getting ready to play their first exhibition game of 2024 this coming weekend. On Thursday, they hosted their opponent, the Los Angeles Rams, in a practice scrimmage, to give both sides the opportunity to test themselves against someone in a different uniform. After two-plus weeks of training camp practices things are starting to heat up. Except, apparently, in the negotiaiton room between the Cowboys and star wideout CeeDee Lamb.

Lamb, holding out all offseason in hopes of securing a contract extension, is set to cross the $1.5 million fine threshold once the timer runs out leading up to the game. Dallas has already placed him on the Reserved/Did Not Report list, opening up his spot on the 90-man offseason roster.

He’s integral to the Dallas passing offense, earning First-Team All-Pro honors in 2023, and has seen numerous fellow wideouts earn lucrative contracts this offseason. There’s no knowing what Lamb is asking for, either in guaranteed money nor in average salary or contract length, but the market says he’s worth around $35 million a season and around $110 million guaranteed.

Whatever the ask is, owner Jerry Jones is scoffing at it; publicly.

On Thursday, Jones was asked about the status of negotiations and instead of giving a stock answer, he chose to continue negotiating in public, saying he sees no “urgency to get it done.”

Question from Reporter 2: “Is there a sense of urgency as you begin the preseason to get CeeDee done?”

Answer from Jones: “No.”

Question from Reporter 2: “Why do you say that?”

Answer from Jones: “Just uh (long pause)… I went to high school. I went to college. I don’t know why I said it. I’m just saying… I don’t know… (laughing) I don’t have a sense of urgency about getting it done. Pick any reason you want. I was at Nobu two days ago, give that as a reason. Whatever you want, put it out there.” – via Nick Harris on DallasCowboys.com

Yikes.

Lamb, who hasn’t spoken much, if at all, this offseason about the negotiations, replied.

Double yikes.

The Cowboys and Jones are no strangers to negotiating in public, and the club has clearly drawn lines in the sand about their current roster.

Jones and company did little to augment their roster in free agency, avoiding the usual in-house extensions or re-signings, and have a ton of players and coaches on the final years of their deals.

Lamb can still accrue another $2.2 million in forgivable fines before the regular season starts.

Once that happens, he will have six weeks to report or else his contract, which will pay him $17.991 million before these fines, tolls. That means the same parameters of this final contract year will become the contract for 2025.

As it stands, even if Lamb reports the club can place the franchise tag on him for next season.

No positives to be gleaned from CeeDee Lamb’s absence in Cowboys camp

There is nothing positive to be taken from CeeDee Lambs Cowboys camp holdout, despite silver lining attempts. | From @ReidDHanson

As the great Monty Python once advised, “Always look on the bright side of life.” When suspicions were confirmed wide receiver CeeDee Lamb would not be attending Cowboys training camp amid a contract stalemate, the more positively-minded of the fanbase took that Monty Python advice to heart.

A common spin some applied to the holdout situation is how it would open up practice rep opportunities for others down the depth chart. While it’s true the Cowboys are littered with inexperienced receivers desperate for snaps, it’s not exactly a beneficial transaction if it comes at the cost of snaps for Lamb.

Snaps are valuable for even the most accomplished WRs in the NFL. Practice reps between quarterback and WR are important in improving timing and chemistry. Dak Prescott and Lamb aren’t starting from square one in this regard, but they can certainly still stand to improve.

Lamb’s presence in camp can also serve as an example to others. Lamb runs routes and makes plays as well as anyone in the league. Getting a firsthand tutorial from the NFL’s best is undoubtedly beneficial for the young developing WR prospects down the roster. With Lamb absent, young players like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, Jalen Moreno-Cropper and David Durden don’t get to see that real life example in front of them. One or two extra reps in practice do not make up for that.

The Cowboys have a wildly unproven group of WRs behind Lamb on the roster. Aside from Brandin Cooks, no one has even a modest amount of experience. Working alongside an All-Pro like Lamb would prove useful for their development.

It helps the offense is expected to mostly stay the same. Mike McCarthy is in Year 5 of his deal in Dallas and aside from a few wrinkles here and there, is running the same offense in 2024.

Lamb is also busy working out on his own and has never displayed any characteristics that would make someone think he’s not taking his training seriously. Yet, nothing quite simulates real practice like real practice, so the sooner Lamb gets to Oxnard, the better.

Of the three headlining players seeking new deals, Lamb’s situation appears to be the closest to getting done. When exactly is anyone’s guess but the parameters have been set by other top WRs over the offseason so there isn’t much to volley in the way of negotiations.

Monty Python usually gives excellent life advice but in the case of this holdout, there isn’t a bright side. Hopefully there will be resolution soon.

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Report suggests Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb may holdout of training camp

From @ToddBrock24f7: 2023’s receptions leader “is expected to miss training camp if he doesn’t get a new deal.” It would be the latest frustration in Dallas.

It wasn’t a big deal when Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb missed the team’s voluntary workouts waiting for a contract extension. And even though it earned him a five-figure fine, it wasn’t necessarily a problem that he skipped minicamp earlier this month in protest.

But the Cowboys are set to reconvene in Oxnard, Calif. in under a month for the beginning of a training camp that looks to be massively important to the immediate future of the franchise, and reports suggest that without a new agreement in place, Lamb is prepared to stay away from that, too.

According to Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, the 25-year-old who led the league in receptions last year and set a single-season club record for receiving yards “is expected to miss training camp if he doesn’t get a new deal.”

Lamb is currently slated to play on the fifth-year option that the Cowboys placed on him and would be due $17.99 million for the 2024 season. The Vikings’ Justin Jefferson, the Eagles’ A.J. Brown, the Lions’ Amon-Ra St. Brown, and the Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle have all signed huge contracts in the past two months, each of them worth over $28.25 million average annual value.

It appears that Lamb is tired of coming in at a discount, and therefore may not be coming in at all until it’s rectified.

Seven-time first-team All-Pro guard Zack Martin employed a similar approach last year, holding out of camp for roughly three weeks before the club granted him a raise that amounted to an extra $8 million over the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Martin later admitted that the holdout impacted his readiness for the 2023 season opener and affected his play for much of the season.

If Lamb is absent from camp, soon-to-be-31-year-old Brandin Cooks would serve as the offense’s top receiving threat. Behind him is a collection of young and mostly inexperienced wide receivers who- combined- accounted for all of 40 catches last season.

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The Cowboys say they’re not worried about Lamb not being ready to line up and go. He’s been working out on his own, and quarterback Dak Prescott explained that the two would log some time together over the summer, as has become tradition for Prescott and his pass-catchers.

But in an offseason when there are so many concerning details for Cowboys fans to read into about how their team is handling its business and its superstar players, a training camp no-show from Lamb would only ratchet up the angst a few more clicks.

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Cowboys’ Lamb not listed among top threats to break single-season receiving record

From @ToddBrock24f7: NFL.com named 5 WRs most likely to break Calvin Johnson’s record of 1,964 yards in a season. Inexplicably, CeeDee Lamb isn’t on the list.

One of football’s gaudiest records seems ready for a fall, but one of the game’s premier playmakers apparently isn’t a real threat to break it.

That’s what NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks thinks, anyway. He recently showcased a list of five pass-catchers who he deems the biggest threats to Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving record, but Cowboys superstar CeeDee Lamb is nowhere to be found.

It’s a somewhat puzzling stance, considering that Lamb led the NFL last season in receptions to finish a full 16 catches over the two runners-up (both of whom, coincidentally, did make Brooks’s list) and came in second in receiving yards.

Lamb was one of just two men- along with Miami’s Tyreek Hill- to top 1,700 receiving yards in 2023. That’s getting awfully close to Johnson’s mark of 1,964, which he set in 2012. Johnson himself has noted that his record is bound to be toppled- likely soon- given both a heavier emphasis these days on passing and the addition of a 17th game to the NFL season.

But according to Brooks, it’s more likely to be Hill, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Justin Jefferson, George Pickens, or- you may want to sit down for this, Cowboys fans- Amari Cooper that does it than it is Lamb.

Hill is an obvious choice, having come within 166 yards of the record last year. Hitting 1,965 yards in 17 games requires a per-game average of 115.6 yards per contest. Hill wrapped up his 2023 with 112.4, putting him well within reach of Megatron.

St. Brown’s young career is still on the rise. In three seasons, his single-season yardage total jumped from 912 to 1,161 to 1,515. It could go even higher, but most of the Lions’ stacked offense returns for 2024, and there’s only one ball to go around.

The Vikings will look to get a big return on their investment in Jefferson. He was one of just three receivers to average triple digit yards per game last season, so he can set the field on fire… but can Sam Darnold/J.J. McCarthy reliably get him enough passes?

Pickens led all qualifying receivers last season in yards per catch, with 18.1. Even at that rate, he’d need 109 receptions to break the record, and only five players had that in 2024. (Pickens had 63.) New Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith would have to really commit to a downfield attack.

Cooper’s appearance on the list stings for Cowboys fans who still believe the team was too hasty in shipping him out of town prior to the 2022 campaign. The 30-year-old is still putting up quality numbers in Cleveland, and now has Ken Dorsey as his offensive coordinator… but is he really a more potent threat than his 25-year-old former teammate?

It’s story problem time.

Lamb averaged 13.0 yards per reception last year. It’s totally reasonable to think he’ll repeat that, since 13.0 also happens to be his career per-catch average over four NFL seasons. (He hit 13.9 in 2021 and has never turned in a season below 12.6.) At 13 yards per grab, Lamb would need 152 catches to break Johnson’s benchmark. He had 135 last year.

Math says that if Lamb had caught 17 more passes- just one more ball per game– in 2023 and simply maintained the per-catch average he’s already held for four full seasons, he’d already have broken Johnson’s record.

But he’s not a threat to do it in 2024???

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As long as we’re playing with Lamb’s very steady production rate of 13 yards per catch, let’s keep going.

Looking at the Dallas offense, it’s not out of the question. The emphasis will clearly still be on the passing game in 2024, as the team has actually taken a step backward with its running back corps. And while Brandin Cooks and Jake Ferguson are still there and there’s the annual expectation of some newbie to catapult into the WR3 role and make a noticeable contribution, there’s no real reason (yet) to believe that the ball will be distributed much differently than it was in 2023.

So let’s give Lamb two extra catches per game over his total from last year. That would be 169 catches. Granted, that’s a new all-time record for a season, and by 20 receptions, a decent amount. But two additional catches per outing actually doesn’t seem outrageous. Lamb ended 2023 with two or more targets than receptions in 13 of 17 games, so the chances were certainly there.

At 13 yards per catch, that would put Lamb well over 2,000. In fact, with that many grabs, his per-reception average could plummet to a career-low 12.0 yards, and he’d still top 2K.

Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record will fall. Sooner or later, so will the 2,000-yard barrier. But to suggest that CeeDee Lamb isn’t one of the top legitimate candidates to do it?

That’s just dropping the ball.

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Cowboys learning long-term contracts thing of the past in modern NFL

Five-year contracts have gone the way of the dinosaur now the Cowboys must learn how to manage the cap under modern conditions. | From @ReidDHanson

The Chiefs made the deal of the decade when they signed Patrick Mahomes to a 10-year, $503 million contract in 2020. At the time, the deal made Mahomes the highest paid quarterback in the league. It officially hitched Kansas City’s wagon to the health and performance of one man but it also offered the kind of contract stability and flexibility most teams would kill for.

The Cowboys struck a similar deal with Tyron Smith when in 2014 they signed their All-Pro left tackle to an eight-year extension. Already under contract for two years, it gave Dallas a decade of control. Like the Mahomes deal, Smith’s contract allowed the Cowboys to move money back to stay flexible under the salary cap. It also allowed them to bask in the savings as the costly LT market boomed around them.

To be fair, 10-year deals were always the exception to the norm. Contracts rarely reached seven years and long-term was typically defined as something in the 5-to- 6-year range. It turns out, even those days are now long gone.

Here in 2024, teams would be so lucky to ink a five-year deal with their brightest superstars. According to free agent contract details from Spotrec, only one player, Carolina guard Robert Hunt, signed a contract in excess of four years. Hundreds of contracts were signed in 2024 and just one player signed for five or more seasons. In the immortal words of Bob Dylan, “times are a-changin.”

Two of Dallas’ brightest young stars, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons (both 25), are approaching free agency and the Cowboys would like nothing more than to sign them to long-term extensions. In today’s day and age, four-years is about as long-term as one can reasonably expect.

The Cowboys would like to lock in their two 25-year-old stars for 5-plus seasons for the same reason those two 25-year-olds may want to max that length out at four. Lamb and Parsons have a chance to hit the market again during their peak years and potentially cash in on the readjusted market.

It’s the same reason Dak Prescott resisted five-year offers back in 2021; he saw the opportunity to cash in even bigger four-years down the road.

There’s a number of reasons why this has changed. Advances in modern medicine mean even seemingly catastrophic injuries don’t have to be career-killers. Growing endorsement money and player revenue sharing have given young players generational wealth earlier in their careers now. And more contract guarantees are adding financial stability to a degree it rarely offered before.

Simply put, players aren’t afraid to gamble on themselves because the risk isn’t as severe as it once was. It’s an era the Cowboys have to adapt to because the rest of the league already has.

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Report: CeeDee Lamb not expected to show for first day of Cowboys mandatory minicamp

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 3x-Pro Bowler is now subject to fines for each day he misses. Skipping all 3 days of minicamp could result in a fine of over $100k.

On April 15, Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb opted out of the team’s first day of offseason workouts. Phase One was voluntary, after all, and the three-time Pro Bowler had been expecting a contract extension from the front office that would bring his payday more in line with his status as one of the game’s premier receiving threats. But the deal hadn’t come, so Lamb chose not to report for OTAs and work out on his own instead.

Now it’s June 4, the first day of minicamp at The Star. Attendance is mandatory. But for Lamb, it’s second verse, same as the first.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, the former first-round draft pick has not been spotted at the team facility and is expected to stay away.

Lamb’s absence now subjects him to possible fines for each day he misses. The cost of skipping Tuesday is $16,953, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. If he misses Wednesday, the fine goes to $33,908; the fine for sitting out a third day would be $50,855.

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The $101,716 Lamb stands to lose if he skips all three days of minicamp is, obviously, a tiny drop in the bucket compared to the $17.99 million he’s already set to make for his fifth season. And it’s nothing when stacked against the record-breaking extension that Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson agreed to on Monday.

Jefferson, who was drafted five spots after Lamb in 2020 and has amassed strikingly similar stats over the same period of time, will earn a reported $140 million ($110 million of which is guaranteed) over the next four years. Lamb is widely considered to be in line for a deal in that same financial neighborhood.

And while the Cowboys brass has said for months that it’s one of their offseason priorities, there has been no movement whatsoever on actually making it happen. Many assumed that Jerry and Stephen Jones were waiting for Jefferson’s bar-setting deal to get done.

Now it is. And mandatory minicamp has begun. And Lamb is nowhere to be found.

And the meter is running.

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CeeDee Lamb likely first domino to fall in Cowboys extension quandry

The WR market appears to be set, paving the way for the Cowboys to sign CeeDee Lamb and other soon-to-be free agents. | From @ReidDHanson

And just like that the Cowboys are on the clock. Up until now, the Cowboys didn’t appear to be sweating their upcoming contract extensions. Their “hakuna matata” mentality was frustrating fans and dominating sports talk. CeeDee Lamb, Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons were all cornerstone pieces in Dallas but without new contracts they ran the risk of spending their best years elsewhere.

Since Lamb and Prescott both become free agents after the 2024 season, their situations have been the most pressing, yet progress appeared elusive. Indications were Lamb’s side wanted to wait until the dust settled on some other prominent receiver extensions before they would go to the table. With top WRs like Amon-Ra St. Brown, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and Justin Jefferson all inking new deals as of late, the stage has now been set for Lamb to get something done.

Jefferson, widely regarded as the top WR in the NFL, set an NFL record for largest average annual value (AAV) given to a non-quarterback. He put a top on the WR market and set the parameters of a new deal for Lamb in Dallas. Jamar Chase could reset the market again when he inevitably re-signs with Cincinnati, but for the most part, Lamb sees he can now expect something in $32-$34 million AAV range. Philadelphia’s Brown has an AAV of $32 million (No. 2 AAV WR in the NFL) likely marks the floor while Jefferson’s $35 million marks the ceiling.

The WR market now offers a clear picture for the Cowboys and Lamb to follow. He’s now likely the first domino to fall for the Cowboys as he leads off what would be a chain reaction of extensions for the Cowboys. The Cowboys have cap space following the June 1 cap space relief, making the timing just about perfect.

Prescott, in no particular rush to re-sign, has tremendous leverage with his no-trade/no-franchise stipulations on his current deal. They’ve played chicken with Prescott before and probably don’t want to do it again. Locking in Lamb gives the Cowboys a selling point and a financial forecast to work with in the Prescott negotiations.

Letting Prescott play out the 2024 season on his current deal is essentially the same as letting him walk in free agency next March. In that situation there would be no reason for him not to test the market and no way for the Cowboys to stop it. His departure would signal a rebuild in Dallas that could last years. It’s a worst-case scenario even Prescott critics should want to avoid.

Dropping the Lamb domino is a big step in preventing that ugly scenario from happening, and that Lamb domino was never going to drop until the WR market was set. Jefferson’s deal does that, definitively, paving the way for big moves in Dallas.

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How CeeDee Lamb, WR corps help Cowboys running game in 2024

The Cowboys WR corps should offer significant assistance for the running game in 2024, says @ReidDHanson.

The Cowboys have caught a fair amount of heat for their handling of the running back position this offseason. Not only did they let Tony Pollard exit unopposed in free agency, but they ignored the position completely in the 2024 NFL draft. Aside from signing veterans Ezekeil Elliott and Royce Freeman, they did next to nothing to ensure the RB room would be formattable in the coming season.

With Rico Dowdle poised to take on the lead back role in 2024, the “running backs don’t matter” mantra will be properly put to the test. The Cowboys took some significant long-term steps to upgrade their blocking up front and a number of external options may still be in play down the road, but the way things look today, solutions must be found within.

Conventional wisdom says Dallas will use a committee approach in 2024. With any luck the sum of the parts at RB will be more than the somewhat uninspiring list of individuals. Another way to squeeze extra juice from the ground game could be by utilizing CeeDee Lamb and his wide receiver brethren.

Using WRs as an extension of the running game is nothing new in the NFL. It doesn’t take Deebo Samuel or a Shanahan offense to get the ball into the hands of these untraditional ball carriers, Mike McCarthy showed last season even he can find ways to give carries to his top pass catcher.

Averaging just under one carry per game, Lamb was quite the formidable weapon on the ground. Whether it was a handoff around the edge, or a run between the tackles, Lamb was consistently successful. His 85.7% success rate as a runner was far and away better than any of the Cowboys’ traditional ball carriers. His 8.1 yards/attempt were staggeringly efficient with over 57 percent of his carries going for either a first down or touchdown.

Given the wear and tear associated with the ground game and Lamb’s importance in the passing game, he’s obviously limited in terms of volume. But Lamb isn’t the only WR on the roster, and given the rawness of the WR room overall, rushing attempts may be exactly what this group in Dallas needs to manufacture opportunities.

Behind Lamb and Brandin Cooks are a number of viable candidates in the WR room. KaVontae Turpin leads the list of explosive playmakers starving for opportunities. The 5-foot-9, 175-pound human joystick averaged 10 yards per carry as a runner last season. The problem was he only logged 11 attempts.  While Lamb is too valuable to the passing game to risk overusing as a runner, Turpin is primarily just a return man. The risk isn’t as severe with Turpin and the reward could be astronomical.

Even if Turpin just averaged one rushing attempt per game, he’d establish himself as a threat and could be used in motion as a decoy to spread out defenses and create more opportunities for others.

Jalen Tolbert may not have much to offer as a runner, but the rookie Ryan Flournoy could. Flournoy appears to be an extremely raw WR prospect who the Cowboys targeted because of his raw athletic ability. He has the speed, quickness and explosiveness that can’t be taught and a 6-foot-1, 202-pound frame to support it. Opportunities on the ground could help him buy time on the roster as he learns the nuances of the position transitioning from Southeast Missouri.

A carry here and a carry there add up and even if it’s just three carries the Cowboys WR corps adds each week, it could be a huge addition to the ground production overall. At the very least it would keep defenders guessing and create playmaking space on the field.

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