How would a CeeDee Lamb holdout impact Cowboys’ offense?

How would the absence of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb impact the Dallas Cowboys offense in 2024?

Dallas Cowboys, CeeDee Lamb / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

CeeDee Lamb is ready to cash in on the heels of a monstrous campaign. The fourth-year wideout set a Dallas Cowboys record with 1,749 yards receiving while leading the league with 135 receptions in 2023.

He's under contract through 2024 thanks to the fifth-year option in his rookie deal, but Lamb has already seen several other star wideouts cash in. That includes Justin Jefferson, who landed a four-year extension worth $140 million with the Minnesota Vikings.

Dallas has yet to hit the negotiating table with any urgency, but that could change with a recent report that Lamb is prepared to sit out of training camp. Head coach Mike McCarthy is confident Lamb will be ready once he does report, but what if the two sides can't come to terms?

Unfortunately for Dallas, the answer to that isn't pretty. Lamb has all the leverage in this negotiation due to the lack of options outside No. 88.

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Should Lamb sit out, Brandin Cooks would be elevated to the WR1 role. While Cooks has topped 1,000 yards six times in his career, he hasn't done so since 2021. He also went missing in several games last year, his first in Dallas.

In total, Cooks recorded 54 receptions for 657 yards with eight touchdowns.

Those numbers are respectable as a second option but pale in comparison to what Lamb offers. Throw in the fact that Cooks is turning 31 this season and it makes the prospect more concerning.

The issues don't end there, either. Behind Cooks, the Cowboys have more questions than answers. Jalen Tolbert is their most experienced option outside of Lamb and Cooks but enters his third season with 24 receptions. That's more than Jalen Brooks and KaVontae Turpin have combined in their careers, but that's not saying much.

No team would be thrilled with the prospect of turning to such a receiving corps, but it's a major problem for Dallas since their passing attack will have to carry the load. Due to their neglect of the running back position in free agency and the draft, the Cowboys' ground game will be led by Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, and Royce Freeman.

In 2018, the Cowboys tried to go into the season without a No. 1 wide receiver and they wound up trading a first-round pick to the Raiders in exchange for Amari Cooper. That offense was abysmal, with Elliott in his prime.

An offense in 2024 without Lamb, and an older Elliott would make that unit look explosive.

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