Monday will mark one week since the Cowboys kicked off their offseason program. Of course, participation is strictly voluntary at this stage, but fans are nevertheless concerned when the biggest playmakers choose to stay away rather than get in and get the earliest possible start with their teammates.
After etching his name in the franchise’s record books in 2023, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb remains a no-show at The Star in Frisco. And while the front office’s inactivity on his contract extension adds to the nerves that plenty within Cowboys Nation are feeling about the coming season, Lamb’s locker room mates aren’t the least bit worried about what the three-time Pro Bowler is missing out on right now.
“We still stay in touch with CeeDee, just around the building,” fellow receiver and return man KaVontae Turpin told Bri Amaranthus of Sports Illustrated.
The effort by Lamb to reach out and stay connected off the field demonstrates to his Cowboys teammates that his absence is simply a business decision, and once that gets taken care of, he’ll be back at it, right alongside them.
“He’s just showing the guys that he’s still here, he’s still going to be here,” Turpin said. “At the same time, the business, the contract stuff: that’s big-time. He’s just staying in touch, staying around, staying vocal. That’s what our leaders do.”
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The biggest of the Cowboys’ leaders agreed. Quarterback Dak Prescott, who is himself waiting on some movement regarding a new financial deal, expressed zero concern about not being in sync with Lamb due to his receiver not attending these early workouts.
The two traditionally spend a good deal of time together on their own, whether it’s working on routes and timing at Prescott’s backyard field or as part of a large-group retreat like the one Prescott and several of his pass-catchers took to a Georgia lake last summer.
Prescott hinted that such extra measures would be on the schedule again.
“We’ll get some work in,” Prescott told reporters Friday night. “I’ve been in communication with CeeDee. That’s there. We’ll get work in, whether it’s him getting into the facility… Maybe a deal gets done, and if it doesn’t, I guarantee that we still find a lot of time to make sure that we’re putting in the work that we feel comfortable [with].”
Lamb led the NFL last season with 135 receptions, compiling 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. All but two of his catches came on throws from Prescott.