The Dallas Cowboys and All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb have been negotiating a new contract extension for quite some time. Of course, Lamb was absent from the team’s OTA’s and mandatory minicamp as he and the team failed to come to an agreement. With training camp starting, many wonder when/if the star wide receiver will show up, or if a deal will get done.
Make no mistake: Lamb will play for the Cowboys in 2024. Whether or not he will do so on a new contract is yet to be seen. However, holding out all of the regular season is not likely. Doing so would only hurt his chances of getting the dollar amount that he wants.
CeeDee Lamb Is by Far the Best Wide Receiver the Dallas Cowboys Have
The Cowboys are entering a season that is likely to determine the direction the organization takes in the future. Head coach Mike McCarthy is in the final year of his contract. Nothing short of a long run in the NFL Playoffs will be able to save his job going forward.
Lamb is not the only star that Dallas needs to extend either. Quarterback Dak Prescott and linebacker Micah Parsons are both due for extensions, and both are demanding top-of-the-market money.
The difficulty facing the Cowboys is that each of their three biggest stars are arguably irreplaceable. In the case of Lamb, it is clear to see why Dallas should want to get a deal done. He is by far and away the best wide receiver on their team.
Last season, he led the Cowboys with 135 receptions, 1,749 receiving yards, and 12 touchdowns. No wide receiver on their roster came remotely close to those numbers. Tight end Jake Ferguson was second on the team with 71 receptions and 761 receiving yards.
Given the fact that Lamb is such a huge component of the Cowboys’ offense, one NFL analyst believes the All-Pro will make some history in 2024.
NFL Analyst Believes Dallas Cowboys Wide Receiver Will Set the Single-Season Receptions Record
As mentioned, it is only logical to assume that Lamb will play for the Cowboys this year, with or without a new contract. Keeping this in mind, one NFL analyst believes that the current Dallas roster is constructed in such a way that Lamb will seriously threaten Michael Thomas’ NFL record for most receptions in a season.
Benjamin Sobleski of Bleacher Report wrote:
“First, Lamb needs to average nearly nine catches per contest to make it happen. He and quarterback Dak Prescott were humming late last season. During the Cowboys final seven games (including their playoff appearance), Lamb averaged 9.4 yards per catch.
“Second, Dallas did next-to-nothing to improve the situation around Lamb, who played all 17 regular-season contests in back-to-back years. The team still lacks a legitimate WR2 and Brandin Cooks is now one year older.
“Finally, Lamb is in a contract year. If he doesn’t sign an extension between now and the start of the regular season, the first-team All-Pro will have something to prove and a message to send to the organization.”
As one can see Sobleski argues that the Cowboys have not done a single thing to improve the pass catchers around Lamb. Additionally, they did nothing to improve their running back room, signing Ezekiel Elliott instead of finding a legitimate back who has proven to be successful over the last couple of years. In other words, Prescott will have Lamb, Ferguson, and sometimes Brandin Cooks to look for in the passing game. Last season proved which target he prefers, and that is Lamb.The All-Pro was just 14 receptions away from tying the record last season. In a year where he is even more the focal point on offense, he should make a run for the record.