CeeDee Lamb put on some muscle this offseason and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has noticed a change in his attire.
Prescott got his first look at Lamb this week after he returned to the Cowboys following an extended holdout. Lamb missed the preseason but was clearly working on his own, bulking up and getting ready for a grueling NFL season.
“He’s wearing a lot more sleeveless shirts,” Prescott joked on Thursday, August 29. “As long as the speed is there, and it looks like it is (in practice), I’m fine with however big he is.”
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has also noticed Lamb’s bulkier physique.
“CeeDee’s jacked,” McCarthy said. “It’s great to have him. He walks into the room with that big smile, he just lights up the room. It’s been awesome having him back.”
CeeDee Lamb ‘Ready to Go to Battle’ With Cowboys
The Cowboys and Lamb agreed to a four-year, $136 extension on Monday. It makes Lamb the second-highest-paid non-quarterback in the league. Despite missing camp, he’s feeling good with Week 1 just around the corner.
“Obviously had plenty of time to revamp myself physically, to become more prepared for the season,” Lamb said. “Granted, I wish I would have had a camp, but it’s OK, though. It will work out on the back end. … I’m ready to go to battle.”
Lamb doesn’t see himself having any restrictions in terms of his workload for the opening game.
“No question,” Lamb said. “I’ll be ready.”
Lamb is coming off a big year. Last season he finished with a league-high 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. The Cowboys have expressed that they want to see him involved even more this season.
“He’s going to touch the ball a ton — for what we’re going to have to pay him, he better,” Jones told Yahoo! Sports’ Jori Epstein. “He’s got to be targeted 12 to 15 times a game. You got to hand it to him a couple more times. So I don’t see that changing in the least bit. … He’s our No. 1 go-to guy.”
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott Gets Honest on Contract Situation
When Prescott spoke to the media on Thursday, it wasn’t all jokes. Prescott is heading into the final year of his contract, and the Cowboys’ hope has been that it will be wrapped up by Week 1. Time is running out, but Prescott is not sweating it too much.
“Not my focus anymore to be honest with you. Told you guys that,” Prescott said. “Really can’t say ever it was really my focus. It’s about making myself and this team better, getting us in the best position and the most confident to go up to Cleveland and start the season off with a win.”
Prescott has all the leverage in the negotiations, and if the Cowboys want to keep him, they will have to make a big offer. The current benchmark for top quarterback salaries stands at $55 million per season, a figure Prescott is anticipated to exceed with his upcoming contract.
“To get paid again, that’s just part of it,” Prescott said. “I’m due up for that, whether it’s signing here or whether it’s somewhere else that I don’t care to think about at this moment. It’s all part of it.”
The Cowboys open the season on September 8 against the Cleveland Browns.
