Dallas City News

Cowboys met with CeeDee Lamb’s reps Thursday to discuss latest contract offer in bid to end holdout – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News

Dallas has put a brand new offer on the table for the All-Pro wide receiver.

Lamb is holding out for a new contract. Before the Cowboys departed for Saturday’s preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the two sides met Thursday over the phone in an attempt to finalize a deal.

The Cowboys are offering the receiver slightly under $33 million per season, a person with knowledge of the talks told The Dallas Morning News.

What Lamb is looking for isn’t known.

The figure of nearly $33 million per season would give him the second-highest average salary for a wide receiver in the NFL behind the Vikings’ Justin Jefferson ($35 million). It also pushes Lamb past the Eagles A.J. Brown ($32 million per season).

In June, Jefferson signed the largest contract for a non-quarterback: a four-year, $140 million deal with $110 million guaranteed.

Lamb isn’t seeking the largest contract for a non-quarterback.

Cowboys’ executive vice president Stephen Jones said that’s what Lamb wanted at the team’s introductory news conference on July 27 but, according to Jones, Lamb reached out and said that’s not the case.

Cowboys’ Mazi Smith suffers allergic reaction in camp, status unknown for game vs. Raiders – Calvin Watkins, DMN

Smith didn’t travel with the team to Las Vegas yesterday and will be reevaluated today.

Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith didn’t travel with the team for the second preseason game against the Raiders because he suffered an allergic reaction on Friday afternoon.

Team officials have treated Smith and will reevaluate him Saturday morning to determine if he can play in the game.

Cooper Beebe candid on his transition to center: ‘It’s become second nature’ – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

Cooper Beebe has taken his prowess as a guard and translated that into good center play.

Having drawn a mountain of praise from head coach Mike McCarthy and players alike for how quickly he’s come along, Beebe is acing the eye test and without a No. 2 pencil.

That exam included his first-ever preseason matchup in the NFL, where he put a lot of good on film against the Rams. With the butterflies of his first official game out of the way, the rest of his cocoon can now begin shedding, and has.

“When I went out there for my first preseason game, it was surreal,” he said. “… Getting that experience under my belt was a dream come true.”

“Obviously, once you get in a game it’s easier,” Beebe said. “The playbook shortens down and it gets easier, but I think I’ve been doing well. There are some weird looks here and there that I’ve got to continue working on but, overall, I think I’m doing pretty well.”

To achieve the mission against a worthy teammate in Brock Hoffman, which is still incomplete heading into their second preseason game, this time against the Las Vegas Raiders, Beebe truly needed to perfect his ability to snap the ball before he could be viewed as a viable starting center in the NFL — something he struggled with at the start of training camp in Oxnard, consistency-wise.

But with a combination of offseason relentlessness that included snapping in the yard to his mom and family and the added work he’s put in outside of practice in South California, he’s already so far along in the process that he looks comfortable; and he’s not overthinking anymore.

Cowboys seeing answers to pre-training camp O-line questions – Saad Yousuf, The Athletic

After several questions entering the offseason, the Cowboys are starting to see the offensive line take shape.

When the Dallas Cowboys’ first-team offense lined up in Wednesday’s joint practice against the Los Angeles Rams, there were as many rookies on the starting offensive line as there were All-Pros.

Tyler Guyton’s status as the starting left tackle for Week 1 has been gaining momentum for weeks. But it was Cooper Beebe’s insertion as the starting center that was the new intriguing development.

“Really like what Cooper did (in the preseason game),” head coach Mike McCarthy said this week. “Thought he had quality snaps, both at the center and guard. We’re going to give Cooper some opportunities here with the first group moving forward. He’ll start working in there. He has earned that opportunity.”

Things to watch as Cowboys face Raiders – Clarence Hill, Star-Telegram

Lots of focus points from Hill.

Among the focus points are getting more snaps for quarterback Trey Lance, the preseason debut of running backs Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman and the play of rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton and of rookie center Cooper Beebe.

Vaughn missed the preseason opener with a hamstring injury. The Cowboys are giving him a look at slot receiver as well as running back in an attempt to help him find a role to justify keeping on the roster. He will also be involved in kick returns.

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Full 2024 NFL season win-loss record predictions for every team – Will Brinson, CBSSports

Brinson has the Cowboys coming in ahead of the Eagles in the NFC East

Brinson projected record: 11-6

The range of outcomes for the Cowboys this year is pretty wide, as you can tell by me having them on my “might miss the playoffs” list and simultaneously putting them down for 11 wins in The Brinson Model™️. I actually have them starting pretty slow out of the gate, going just .500 over their first six weeks before catching fire thanks to a fairly friendly schedule featuring lots of home games in the second half. If the offensive line doesn’t fall apart, I trust Mike McCarthy to get the most out of Dak Prescott. The playoffs might be a problem, but he’s won 12 games in three straight years. CeeDee Lamb is gonna play even if it’s on a lame-duck deal. Brandin Cooks is a decent No. 2 option, Jake Ferguson is a semi-sneaky potential breakout candidate this year, and the running back room with Rico Dowdle may be better than anyone expects. My biggest concern is the defense with Dan Quinn gone, but Mike Zimmer has enough options on that side of the ball for a reclamation project.

Brinson projected record: 9-8

My projection is going against the Vegas implied success of the Eagles, and it’s in large part because of what I expect to be a slow-ish start for Philly. I still see it as a likely playoff team, but it draws the Packers and three quarters of the NFC South to start before a Week 5 bye. They have a new offensive coordinator in Kellen Moore, and even if he’s an upgrade, there’s some concerns after seeing the Chargers last year, plus the natural acclimation time. The loss of Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox — the literal backbone of both the offense and defense, respectively — is kind of being glossed over this offseason. Howie Roseman did an outstanding job replacing the two ahead of time by drafting Cam Jurgens and Jordan Davis, but there’s a chance this team starts a little slow as they adjust to all the changes.

Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets face similar pressure cooker entering 2024 NFL season: Win now, or else – Bucky Brooks, NFL.com

Winning the regular season won’t be enough in Dallas, Brooks explains.

The Cowboys have gone 12-5 in each of the past three seasons, winning a pair of NFC East titles. Unfortunately, they’ve gone just 1-3 in the playoffs during that span. Consequently, the ‘Boys ultimately will be judged by their postseason performance.

Anything short of a deep playoff run, and it’s not hard to imagine Jerry Jones delivering a flurry of pink slips throughout the facility. Given the mounting pressure on Dallas to deliver in the postseason tournament, McCarthy must keep his players focused on the initial task (regular-season success) while simultaneously preparing them for the playoff grind. Though most teams take a “one game at a time” approach, the head coach has to maintain focus on the long view, as well.

That’s not easy, to say the least. And if the Cowboys hit a rough patch, it’ll be challenging for McCarthy to keep from wilting under the pressure of great expectations. It’s hard to put a specific marker on what success means for Dallas in 2024, but the team better acquit itself well in the regular season and especially the postseason. Otherwise, changes could abound.

2024 NFL position group rankings: Best, worst team units – Mike Clay, ESPN

The Cowboys come in 6th overall in ESPN’s unit ranking, largely based on their strength at CB (4th), Edge Rusher (3rd), and QB (6th). But there’s also this 32nd-ranked unit:

Shakiest [RB unit]: Dallas Cowboys

This wasn’t a tough choice considering that Dallas clearly decided to deprioritize the position this season. Tony Pollard left for the Titans after two 1,000-yard seasons, paving the way for Ezekiel Elliott’s return to the Cowboys. Elliott is a franchise legend, but at 29 he’s no more than an innings-eater. He posted his fourth straight season with underwhelming YPC, YAC and YPT marks in New England in 2023. Additionally, Dallas is choosing to run “by committee” this season, but there’s not much to get excited about with its other options (Rico Dowdle, 179-pound Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman).

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5 roster bubble Cowboys who Dallas should bubble wrap – Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire

Dallas needs to keep these players far away from any preseason action.

DeMarvion Overshown, LB

Overshown gave everyone a scare on Wednesday when he left practice for a hip pointer. The second-year player missed all of 2023 with and ACL injury and figures to be a key cog in the linebacker machine in 2024. He’s flashed enough plays to look like a star in the making and no longer has much to prove in his bid for a starting role.

Overshown doesn’t need the live action of a preseason game and can probably be held back in practice to keep the wear and tear off his body. As with everyone on the bubble wrap list, the risk isn’t worth the reward.

Markquese Bell, Safety

Bell was a standout performer in the Cowboys first preseason game, leading the team in tackles and snagging an interception and deflection in the process. Coming off a season where he played LB almost exclusively, Bell needs plenty of practice reps as a deep safety, he just doesn’t need the punishment of a full contact environment on top of it.

The Cowboys would be better off testing Juanyeh Thomas and Israel Mukuamu in full contact safety situations since they still have something to prove.

Spagnola: Calling on the youth to step up – Mickey Spagnola, DallasCowboys.com

The Cowboys need some of their younger talent to rise to the occasion quickly.

So let’s start at defensive end, rookie second-round pick Marshawn Kneelend, step right up. The Cowboys know they have Pro Bowl veteran DeMarcus Lawrence. They know they have Micah Parsons, but not only do the Cowboys want Parsons to play some linebacker, they know at just 240 pounds, he is not built to sustain 60-snap punishment with his hand on the ground. Kneeland must make an immediate impact at defensive end.

That is why the Cowboys not only are moving last year’s fourth-round pick Viliami Fehoko from defensive tackle to defensive end but also Chauncey Golston, from inside to outside, too. And they also signed veteran defensive end Carl Lawson, expected to arrive here on Friday.

Or take defensive tackle. After losing both starter Johnathan Hankins and rotation tackle Neville Gallimore in free agency, the Cowboys are expecting – hoping for – big things out of Mazi Smith, last year’s struggling first-round pick. But while realizing they had little to no experience there, aside from starter Osa Odighizuwa, the Cowboys just traded for Giants defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, a 10th-year veteran who at 6-6, 341 will add bulk to the nose tackle position, if nothing else.