The 2024 offseason has been disappointing so far in Dallas. After announcing their “all-in” strategy, the lack of any big additions has been glaring. What might be more concerning for Cowboys fans is the lack of new contracts for a couple of their biggest stars.
Rumors are that CeeDee Lamb is on the cusp of signing an extension. As of this writing though, the Cowboys haven’t signed that deal. According to Over the Cap, the Cowboys are coming in to this year with about 12 million dollars cap space still available. Most teams have magicians as accountants and are able to make these kinds of moves happen even with little cap space, especially with their superstars, so I’m not going to worry too much about cap space as a factor. Let’s just look at these players and see if it really makes sense for the Cowboys to be “all-in” with these players.
CeeDee Lamb is arguably a top five wide receiver in the league. He was top three in the league in Receptions (1), Yards (2), and TDs (3). He has great size for a reciever and is still coming into his prime at age 25. His average per catch is not great, and its hard to tell if that’s a limitation on his speed or just a scheme issue that keeps him from getting breakaway catches. Overall, though, he’s a fantastic weapon and has absolutely earned a big contract.
Dak might be coming off his best season as a pro. There were seasons with more yards and more touchdowns, but his efficiency was much better in 2023. He cut down on his turnovers, he had the highest completion percentage of his career and for most of the regular season he was in the conversation for MVP. But he’s also the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys and he’ll always be graded by his postseason performance and that has been his achilles heel throughout his career.
So who do you pay? Or more importantly do the Cowboys have to choose one over the other?
Do you pay Dak?
Dak has shown progress working with Mike McCarthy as the head coach. At 30 years old, he’s probably got five to six more years of high level play barring any injuries – and that’s a big IF because Dak does have a recurring ankle injury. The Cowboys have a good defense, but this off season has seen the offensive line and running back room take a step back. If Dak is playing under pressure, he’s mistake prone. If there’s no running game to keep defenses honest, he’s going to turn the ball over. We know Dak is a good quarterback, but is he the quarterback the Cowboys need?
Do you pay CeeDee?
CeeDee is a great receiver and looks like he could challenge as the best in the league. But just like all receivers in this league, they are affected by just about every other position on the field. If the O-line isn’t protecting the quarterback, those passes aren’t coming. If the running game isn’t efficient, those safeties are double teaming the receivers. If the quarterback doesn’t get the ball out, the receiver doesn’t get to make plays. There aren’t too many stories about teams offering top dollar to free agent wide receivers and then improving in the win column.
Maybe the reason contracts haven’t been coming is because the Jones family sees exactly what we do – this offense needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. If you sign Dak, you have to sign CeeDee. Dak has no other weapons right now. If you sign CeeDee and not Dak, who’s throwing the ball? Trey Lance? It’s going to take $70 million a year to get these two under contract.
If the Cowboys were smart, they’d trade both. Get the draft capital and the cap reset. It will be a rough couple of years, but being able to bring in a young QB, a couple offensive lineman and a weapon or two over the next two drafts will reset the championship window for this very good defense.
So really we just need to know if Jerry Jones is “All-In” on building a champion, or “all-in” on a first round loss in the playoffs.