The Dallas Cowboys' offseason program will begin without one of their biggest stars.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Network was the first to report that wide receiver CeeDee Lamb would be absent for OTAs.
Lamb is coming off an amazing season in Dallas where he racked up 135 receptions for 1,749 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was far and away the best pass-catcher on the Cowboys roster and it was Lamb's best season as a pro. Dallas drafted Lamb in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
While not having the wide receiver for any period would hurt the Cowboys offense, the front office is stressing patience.
"When you're talking about big contracts like Dak, CeeDee and Micah, those things don't happen overnight," said executive vice president and director of player personnel Stephen Jones via the team's official website. "Those things take time. There's timing based on what other teams are doing at their position."
"There's a lot of moving parts. Certainly, you wanna get it right. … When you're paying the type of money we ultimately will have to, to keep them, you wanna make sure you get it right," Jones added.
As mentioned by Jones, Dallas doesn't just have Lamb to worry about. Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons are also looking for new contracts. If these players were to leave the Cowboys, it would be a stain on the organization and the overall success of the team would take a massive hit.
So while Jones and the front office want fans to be patient, they shouldn't have to be. Retaining top talent should be a priority for the Cowboys. If they lose Lamb or another player because they failed to pay the required price, fans will be left wondering if Dallas is still "America's Team" anymore.
