Parsons certain Lamb will play Cowboys’ opener

Todd Archer, ESPN Staff WriterAug 13, 2024, 06:04 PM ET
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OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb‘s holdout has reached 21 days, but that does not mean he is not paying attention to what’s going on at training camp without him.

Micah Parsons said Lamb reached out to him and said, “‘Oh, you going crazy,'” in practice after watching practice film on his tablet.

Parsons does not have back channels to the negotiations, but he said he does believe Lamb will be on board soon. The Cowboys have exchanged proposals with Lamb’s agent, but work remains to get a deal done that would make him among the highest-paid receivers in the game. He is set to make $17.99 million on the fifth-year option.

Parsons is eyeing the Sept. 8 season opener against the Cleveland Browns.

“We have our talks, but at the end of the day, me and CeeDee and all of us, we kind of know what it is,” Parsons said. “CeeDee is a part of the brotherhood whether he likes it or not. He knows he’s not going nowhere. The business side, they going to take care of him. … But obviously, we miss him. I mean, he’s one of the best people you can have in a locker room, and I’m pretty sure he’ll be here soon, because no doubt about it, Week 1, he will be suited up for the Dallas Cowboys.”

Lamb’s fines have totaled more than $1 million with him skipping the mandatory minicamp in June, training camp and the first preseason game, although the fines can be rescinded by the team because he is on his rookie deal.

Last week, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he did not have urgency to get a deal done, but he changed his tune slightly Sunday, saying, “CeeDee is missed.”

While he would not have played in the preseason games, Lamb has missed valuable practice time. But the Cowboys don’t think it will take him long to acclimate once a deal is finalized.

“CeeDee’s going to be ready,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said. “Again if the system was different, that always adds different challenges. He knows what we do. He and Dak [Prescott] have what I would say are 1,000 or 10,000 banked reps together. And one thing I know about him is he’s staying ready. A younger player, [there would be worry] because the system is new or different. … There’s wrinkles that he’ll have to pick up on, but his [football intelligence] is unbelievable.”

Parsons said Lamb would need two or three practices to get back up to speed. Coach Mike McCarthy said the team would be smart whenever Lamb reports.

“You just make time to get done what you need to get done, that’s how I look at CeeDee when he gets here,” McCarthy said. “We know CeeDee is always going to be in great shape and so forth. Yeah, we’ll make the time and we’ll be smart about it, too, because we got to make sure we have a sound plan and once he does get back here.”