A new deal for CeeDee Lamb suddenly looks more promising from the vantage point of the man writing the check, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Jones said Tuesday there is marked progress is the delta between Dallas and its star receiver. Lamb was a no-show for training camp, refusing to play as negotiations proved to be largely unfruitful. But Jones said there are positive signs in contract negotiations with Lamb and his quarterback. Jones said he likes the chances of Lamb being ready for the start of the regular season Sept. 8 at Cleveland. "Well, I think I am and when I say that, it doesn't sound too promising. The facts are that I believe we'll come together. I don't want to speak for him. That's what I'm trying not to do. But we wouldn't have offered him what we've offered him if we didn't want him to be here," Jones said. Neither said has shed significant light on the dollar value behind Lamb's ask or whether he'll approach the $35 million annually the Vikings are paying All-Pro Justin Jefferson. On the same side of the ball, Dak Prescott is in the final year of his $140 million contract and can't be retained with the franchise tag if the Cowboys don't come up with the cash to keep him in 2025 and beyond. Jones said the Cowboys continue to hold contract talks with Prescott. "One of the things that I'd like for the fans to really understand is that nine times out of 10, these are existing (deals) you have in place," Jones said. "And you should be able to operate under those but we've gotten it now in the NFL, other teams are dealing with it too, where with time left on the contract you still might have a contract discussion. ... None of us, players or teams, want it to hurt the preparation or the likelihood of playing at your best opening day." Jones ruffled feathers when he said the team feels no urgency to sign Lamb, but later clarified he intended to say the Cowboys "know what he can do" and the push to finalize any new contract was minimized by a limited desire to play the wideout in preseason games. Lamb would have just over two weeks to prepare for Week 1, but first-year offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer implied that's plenty of work for the 25-year-old. "CeeDee's going to be ready. Again, if the system was different, that always adds different challenges. He knows what we do. He and Dak 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," Schottenheimer said last week. "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." Lamb set team records last season with 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. --Field Level Media
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