Training camp is supposed to be a source of great optimism for Dallas Cowboys fans, a time when postseason heartache is mended and excitement for the next campaign builds. Attention shifts to the exceedingly talented roster, and hope subsequently begins to rise once again. That is not the case this year, though.
Practice sessions in Oxnard, California have been overshadowed by terrible injury news and constant contract speculation. Cowboys fans know what the narrative surrounding their team is during the regular seaosn and playoffs. They are prepared for excessive mockery and pain, but this should be a temporary reprieve from the negativity.
A sense of uneasiness will probably remain, though, until quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb sign contract extensions. While neither All-Pro is on the verge of inking a deal, the NFL-watching world received some clarity, courtesy of a top insider.
“With {CeeDee Lamb}, I would not say that it's close because there is a lot of work to be done, but it feels like it's closer than Dak,” NFL Network's Ian Rapoport told The Rich Eisen Show.” Just my general feel.”
“The Dak one is harder. Not being able to franchise tag him, not being able to trade him…basically just gives Dak all the leverage…If he doesn't have a deal by the seaosn, then I think he's probably a free agent next year.”
Can the Cowboys take care of businesses before Sept. 8?
While those updates do not inspire an overwhelming amount of confidence, it is encouraging to hear that might just be a matter of time before Lamb signs his monster extension, one that Rapoport thinks will be around the $140 million that Minnesota Vikings wideout Justin Jefferson agreed to in June. Still, fans will breathe a sigh of relief when they actually see the 2023 receptions leader (135) report to training camp.
After years of people wondering if Lamb belonged in the same conversation as the elites, he left a lasting mark with possibly the greatest regular season a Cowboys pass-catcher has ever produced. Now, the 25-year-old is seeking his reward.
And he will ideally receive it before opening kickoff takes place on Sept. 8 versus the Cleveland Browns. Conversely, it seems incredibly possible that a Dak Prescott contract extension is not completed until next offseason. Heck, who knows if one will get done at all.
The ninth-year QB figures to be the “biggest free agent in NFL history” and will command north of $60 million if he hits the open market, according to Rapoport. Such a number should turn Jerry Jones and the Cowboys brass green with nausea. Management insists that it plans to pay Prescott, Lamb and pass-rusher Micah Parsons (likely revisited in 2025), but the longer it takes to lock up just one of these stars, the less faith fans will have in those proclamations.
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