The Dallas Cowboys officially activated wide receiver CeeDee Lamb from the exempt list ahead of Sunday’s Week 1 game against the Cleveland Browns, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
CeeDee Lamb will play for the Cowboys on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. He had been on the exempt list as he was ramping up after signing his four-year, $136 million contract extension, ending his holdout that persisted for much of training camp. This was an expected move for the Cowboys to take him off of the exempt list ahead of Sunday’s game against the Browns, and now we have full confirmation of it.
The Cowboys will need Lamb to step up against the Browns, arguably the most talented defense in the league. This is a big test right away for a team that is hoping to be a contender in the NFC.
With the Philadelphia Eagles picking up a win over the Green Bay Packers on Friday, the Cowboys will undoubtedly want to start their season with a win as well. The Eagles showcased their high-powered offense against the Packers, and the Cowboys could make a statement with a road win against a talented Browns team.
Big year looms for key Cowboys contributors
This in a way is a put-up or shut-up year for the Cowboys in many aspects. The most obvious one is Dak Prescott, who is a very good quarterback, but there are questions about his ability to perform in the playoffs and against top teams. If this year goes the same as many prior seasons, Dallas will be faced with an intriguing question in the offseason as Dak Prescott is in the final year of his current contract.
This is a similar situation for head coach Mike McCarthy, who is also on the last year of his contract. Outside of his first season as head coach, when Prescott missed significant time and the team missed the playoffs, the Cowboys have been a consistent playoff team under Mike McCarthy. Again, the worry is about how the team performs in the playoffs.
Pass rusher Micah Parsons is also due for an extension at some point, but that should be seemingly inevitable, like the Lamb contract.
It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys fare against the Browns and this season as a whole, and the decisions they make for the long-term as a result of how the team performs this season.
