OXNARD, Calif. — Time is winding down on a potential extension being reached before the start of the season between the Dallas Cowboys and star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, as only 19 days sit between Tuesday's practice in Southern California and the team taking the field in Cleveland for week one against the Browns.
However, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is still offering optimism that a deal could be struck between now and then which would pave the way for the star wideout to return from his holdout.
"The facts are that I believe we'll come together," Jones said. "I don't want to speak for him. That's what I'm trying not to do, but we wouldn't have offered him what we've offered him if we didn't want him to be here."
In on-the-field news, the Cowboys sit just one week away from having to cut down their roster to the NFL mandated 53-man limit, and Jones foresees some tough decisions being made – namely at wide receiver, defensive back and tight end.
One position group could also still see movement between now and then, as Jones kept the door open to adding to his group up front defensively, even after the additions of Carl Lawson and Jordan Phillips.
"I've liked the new faces we've brought in on the defensive line," he said. "We're probably not through there in terms of [adding] a [new] face."
On the flip side, despite the possibility of two rookies starting on the offensive line when the team arrives in Cleveland in under three weeks, Jones offered his excitement about what is building in the trenches.
"Pointedly, I'm excited about our offensive line," he said. "I'm excited about the individual players, I'm excited about the depth there. I'm excited about the youth there, all of it. That's critical, it's vital for us to have the running game [we had] the other night. I know it was preseason, but I was impressed with how we pushed the other team around the other night."
The team will take part in one final preseason game on Saturday afternoon back home at AT&T Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers before officially beginning the 2024 season. But before then, one showcase still remains for the team's quarterback project in Trey Lance.
"I'd like to see us really be able to have our quarterback depth," Jones said. "I'd like to see him get some more work in this weekend, that would be number-one."
"Do I need to see any more from Trey Lance? The answer is yes, but he's going to be on the 53."
