Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy admits relief at getting CeeDee Lamb back to work. The star receiver agreed to a four-year, $136 million extension with $100 million guaranteed on Monday.
When Lamb arrives to sign his deal, it will mark the first time the Cowboys have seen him since the 2023 season ended. Lamb missed all of the offseason program, including the mandatory minicamp, and all of training camp and the preseason while waiting for the completion of the deal.
Better late than never, but the Cowboys are 13 days from the season opener. Lamb could practice as early as Tuesday, but the Cowboys will be deliberate in his return.
“I think No. 1, it was just great to get the contract in place and obviously have him back,” McCarthy said Monday, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “The schedule that we have for the week really fits into a ramp-up mode. I don’t feel like we have to do a whole lot of adjusting, but obviously we’re going to have a plan for him. . . . We do have to be smart with him, and that’s our plan.”
The Cowboys have three practices this week before a long, holiday weekend, returning next Tuesday to begin preparation for their Week 1 opponent, Cleveland.
Videos have shown Lamb working hard with his own trainer, but playing football is the only way football players get in football shape. He did some of that with quarterback Dak Prescott off-site this offseason but not nearly enough and not recently.
In 2019, the Cowboys didn’t sign holdout running back Ezekiel Elliott to a contract extension until Sept. 3, the week of the season opener. He played 37 of 68 snaps in Week 1 against the Giants and had 14 touches for 63 yards and a touchdown.
“These athletes train at an unbelievable rate and discipline,” McCarthy said. “CeeDee, in particular, he loves to run. This guy, you have to cut him down at practice because he’ll just keep going. I’m actually more focused on not doing too much with him. The overall conditioning I don’t think is going to be a concern. It’s really just more of the connection, the little things, the details. [He] just has to get back to running the routes and getting into the seven-on-sevens and the team periods. He needs body on body contested catches, have his contact balance tested. You really only get that playing football.”