Cowboys' Jerry Jones maintains CeeDee Lamb is 'missed' amid contract chaos
Lamb was an All-Pro in 2023
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dallas Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones had a message for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb as the two sides are engaged in a contract dispute with less than a month before the start of the season.
Jones made the remarks during the organization’s "Countdown to Kickoff" show before the Cowboys took on the Los Angeles Rams in their first preseason game.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CeeDee Lamb, #88 of the Dallas Cowboys, looks on as he warms up prior to an NFL wild-card playoff football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on Jan. 14, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
"I think I got in trouble about it the other day when I said, ‘Look, we’re not urgent about CeeDee.’ Well, no one appreciates CeeDee being on the field any more than I do," Jones said, via Pro Football Talk.
"But let me say this, he wouldn’t be taking a snap out here today if he’d been here. You’ve got to use your head when you expose key players. … We know exactly what CeeDee can do. He worked out with Dak. And so we wouldn’t have him out here. It has really not anything to do with his contract. Dak won’t be out here this afternoon.
"And so the bottom line is, what it is is, no, there’s not that urgency. Now, I understand completely the angst that’s happening when you’re anxious about and someone says anything about whether you’re missed or not. Well, CeeDee, you’re missed, OK? But you’re not missed out here competing, and it doesn’t put any pressure, anyplace on us. It’s not pressure out here today and in practice."
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones talks to the media before the NFL preseason game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 11, 2024 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. (Jordon Kelly/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Lamb is seeking a new contract as he has become the No.1 wide receiver for the team following Dallas trading Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns before the 2022 season.
Jones appeared to ruffle feathers last week when he said there was no urgency to get a deal done.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lamb responded on social media, writing "lol."
Owner Jerry Jones of the Dallas Cowboys attends a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams at training camp on Aug. 8, 2024 in Oxnard, California. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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Lamb is a three-time Pro Bowler and is coming off an All-Pro season. He led the NFL with 135 receptions on 181 targets in 2023. He had 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches – all career highs.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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