Worrying CeeDee Lamb update is more humiliating for Cowboys after big Eagles news

Have the Dallas Cowboys done anything right this offseason? Hiring Mike Zimmer and signing Eric Kendricks were nifty moves, but the draft is a little over a week away and neither Dak Prescott nor CeeDee Lamb have signed contract extensions.

Lamb's deal seems to have taken precedence over Prescott's. The Cowboys' history of giving premium contracts to their top WRs bodes well for Lamb, but they run the risk of Lamb's price tag skyrocketing the longer they draft this out.

Dallas also runs the risk of Lamb not practicing with the team until training camp. A report last week from the Dallas Morning News hinted that Lamb wouldn't report to voluntary workouts without a new deal. Sure enough, Lamb wasn't at the facility for Monday morning's team meeting.

More worrisome is the fact that Lamb isn't expected to show face at The Star "anytime soon" while he awaits a new deal. Already a terrible look, this Lamb update looks even worse after the Eagles and wideout DeVonta Smith agreed to terms on a lucrative extension.

CeeDee Lamb not at Cowboys voluntary offseason workouts

It's so fitting that this happened right after Smith's extension. Smith got a three-year, $75 million extension with $51 million guaranteed. Smith's $25 million salary is now tied with Eagles teammate A.J. Brown for the fourth-highest AAV at the position. His guarantees are ninth-most amongst receivers.

You know what that means? Lamb's price tag just went up. Smith is a great player, but he's very clearly the No. 2 behind Brown. If a WR2 who's never surpassed 100 catches in a season can net $25 million annually, how much will Lamb demand? For context, Lamb has the most catches (242) in the league and second-most yards (3,106) and touchdowns (21) over the last two seasons.

It's embarrassing that the Eagles signed Smith before the Cowboys signed Lamb. Smith was drafted a year after Lamb in 2021 and Lamb's been eligible for an extension for over a calendar year.

At the end of the day, it's not a huge deal that Lamb isn't at voluntary workouts. The collective bargaining agreement states that the first two weeks are exclusively for strength and conditioning. Lamb is a workaholic so he's obviously working out on his own accord.

A player of Lamb's caliber doesn't need OTAs, either. Those get going on May 24. His chemistry with Dak Prescott is already elite and mandatory minicamp isn't until June 4-6. Even if Lamb's holdout extends into July and he's fined for missing all of minicamp and parts of training camp, there's no reason for fans to overreact.

A deal will get done eventually, but it's perfectly fitting that the Eagles got Smith signed a year ahead of time just as word spread that Lamb won't be at voluntary workouts because the Cowboys waited until the eleventh hour to sign their superstar receiver.

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