CeeDee Lamb’s deal with the Cowboys was predictable, plus notes on NFL Cutdown Day

As with Dak Prescott (last time), DeMarcus Lawrence, Zeke Elliott, Zack Martin and, now looking back, Dez Bryant, this was a public dispute with a predictable endDallas generally doesn’t let its stars walk away in top form, and the Joneses have no problem going all-in with these guys in negotiations.

In this special situation the cowboys would tell youand Stephen Jones specifically told me last month that Lamb simply wasn’t going to get a deal last year when he first became eligible for one. The wait also made sense, since a number of receivers were likely to get deals in 2024, and those deals did indeed get done. The big deal, of course, was for Justin Jefferson in Minnesota, and it’s no coincidence that Lamb’s situation changed when that deal was done.

He decided to hold on and try to move the issue forward. There was a gap to be filled. That took time. Now it’s done. Will all the bitterness affect Lamb’s game? Probably not.

• While we’re at it, I’m one of those people who think that the decades-long battle for the General Manager title in Dallas is overrated, the consequences of what Cowboys owners And GM Jerry Jones said to my buddy Clarence Hillwho has just moved to the ALLCITY DLLS site after nearly three decades Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Why? For two reasons.

First, the Cowboys have good people running the business in positions comparable to those titles in other organizations. Will McClay has run the scouting department for over a decade and could have had a GM job elsewhere if he wanted to leave (he waited on purpose, and his time to go may be coming soon). Todd Williams has run the team’s cap operations department for a generation.

Second, Dallas’ roster has never been a problem. They have been one of the most talented teams in the NFL since the end of the Bill Parcells era nearly 20 years ago.

For many owners, the decision not to give anyone the GM title is a matter of principle. The Cincinnati Bengals never had a GM title – owner Mike Brown took that role. Still, they had director of player personnel Duke Tobin in a de facto GM position for years, and Tobin did a great job keeping the roster full. Patriots owner Robert Kraft took a similar tactic, believing the GM title needed to go to someone to oversee the entire organization. He never had a GM. Although Scott Pioli and Nick Caserio did a great job of building championship rosters, neither of them ever won the title.

Of course, this is a big deal in Dallas, because everything is a big deal for the Cowboys because of the history of Jerry Jones holding that title, what it meant to Jimmy Johnson and the team in the 1990s, and the fact that the Cowboys haven’t won a Lombardi Trophy since.

But as far as the people you need to put together a really good roster? The Cowboys have that. And beyond that, if you want to argue about how things were set up, that’s really a point to argue about.

• The final cuts are Tuesday, and as I was digging through some of the names being discussed on the transfer market, I found the Denver Broncos’ trade offer interesting — particularly that they have told the other 31 clubs that veteran wide receiver Tim Patrick and running back Samaje Perine are available and will be released if they are not traded.

It’s not a real stunner. But it confirms what Sean Payton said about his rookie class this offseason and what he said to me directly about the group earlier this month.

“I’m encouraged by this rookie class,” he said. “I’m telling you, people underestimate the [Devaughn] We got Vele later in the draft, Troy Franklin in the fourth round, Kaden Ellis’ brother [Jonah]I said [Broncos co-owner/CEO] Greg [Penner] about the 2006 class and the 2017 draft class in New Orleans. This 2024 draft class is one to watch – it has a chance to be something you look back on…”

The fact that Franklin and Vele have given the team viable development options at receiver makes Patrick expendable, and fifth-round running back Audric Estime has paved the way for Perine’s departure, so those would be encouraging signs, to use Payton’s words.

• The Kansas City Chiefs are betting on receiver captains and bringing back Juju Smith-Schuster. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson and Mecole Hardman are already there. And there are two good reasons for that.

Brown will miss some time early in the season with a shoulder injury, while there’s still the possibility that Rice will serve a suspension early in the year. That news will likely come in the next day or so (the Friday before Labor Day is always a popular time for news). Smith-Schuster is a natural slot receiver, and that’s where the majority of Rice’s snaps would occur.

How much Smith-Schuster remains is, of course, another question.

• Because I was curious, I looked into how rare it is for Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy to be out before the season starts. The answer for this millennium is actually: very.

I’m keeping a tally of when first-round quarterbacks first started, going back to 2000. In the 24 draft cycles prior to this one, 69 quarterbacks were drafted in the first round. Only three failed to play a single snap as a rookie – Jordan Love in 2020 for the Green Bay Packers, Jason Campbell in 2005 for Washington, and Carson Palmer in 2000 for the Bengals – and those three were redshirted rather than injured.

So if Vikings fans feel cursed, I can understand that. I also think McCarthy will benefit from learning something this year while watching Sam Darnold go through the ups and downs of a season. Especially with the team the Vikings have for their quarterbacks.

• I’m curious to see if the owners will tweak the new kickoff at their private equity meeting in Minnesota on Tuesday. My suggestion would be to discuss moving the touchback to the 35-yard line. I think there will be a lot of teams that kick the ball deep into the end zone early because they think the five extra yards it gives opponents are worth studying how other teams handle it early in the year. But when five yards becomes ten and the ball goes to the 35-yard line instead of the 30-yard line, I think those teams will think twice about that strategy.

• The New York Jets’ Mike Williams starting is a big deal – they’ve been slowly working him back into the offense over the past few weeks. But Williams will have to earn his time after recovering from his torn ACL. Allen Lazard has shown new life in training camp and clearly has Aaron Rodgers’ trust, and the coaches have a plan for rookie Malachi Corley, so how Williams fits into that is an open question.

• One thing to take away from today’s avalanche of news about players at the bottom of the roster is how many teams are keeping three quarterbacks. The NFLPA’s rejection of a proposed rule change that would allow teams to freely move the backup quarterback up and off the roster from the practice squad could certainly impact that. The union did not want to set the precedent of players who should be on the active roster being hidden on the practice squad.

• Congratulations to Jason and Travis Kelce on her new podcast deal. Of course, there are many reasons for the podcast’s value, but one thing all players should keep in mind is that both were active players when they started, which gave the podcast a lot of value and uniqueness and attracted an audience that they can now retain and grow.

• The Washington Commanders renaming their stadium just makes me think how badly they need a new stadium. Hopefully it happens, and in DC.