The Cowboys lost DaRon Bland, their take-it-to-the-house corner, to a foot injury last week. I imagine CeeDee Lamb is working on his backpedal, playing opposite Trevon Diggs and taking a few errant throws this season.

The Cowboys lost Sam Williams to a torn ACL early in camp in Oxnard. I can imagine Lamb with his hand on the ground on the side (really on the side, probably) aiming for the quarterback and getting into the sack column.

Hey, for $136 million — $100 million of it guaranteed and $38 million in a new record bonus for a non-quarterback — can’t Lamb give the talent-strapped Cowboys a little something extra in the coming seasons? Is 181 targets, 135 grabs, and 1,749 receiving yards all we can expect from this guy?

Actually, it isn’t. Lamb had 14 carries for 113 yards and a pair of touchdowns last season. If we’re being realistic, Lamb’s addition to the ground game is exactly what Dallas needs in 2024, because in less than two weeks, they’ll be heading to Cleveland without a rushing attack.

That’s what’s going to make the Lamb deal interesting. Cowboys fans obviously got a big break when the deal was announced on Monday. Instead of waiting until the last minute, Lamb will have two weeks to work with Dak Prescott and reignite the fire that made Lamb the NFL’s receptions leader last season and Dak the runner-up in Most Valuable Player voting.

Sometimes there are debates about a team’s best player, and I think some still hold on linebacker-pass rusher Micah Parsons as Dallas’ No. 1. I wouldn’t go that route. Lamb made it clear that he was the guy they couldn’t live without last season. When you think about Dak, would you rather have the starting quarterback paired with Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert as his starting wideouts or would you take your chances with Lamb and Cooper Rush? Maybe even Trey Lance if he can reduce his interceptions by, say, one per quarter.

I’m going for Lamb and whoever’s throwing.

But the problem for the Cowboys in 2024 is this: Who’s the next explosive player on offense? Tony Pollard is gone, and if you think that doesn’t matter, I suspect you’re putting too much stock in how he performed in a season that saw him suffer a broken leg. This season feels more like that 49ers playoff game two years ago, when Pollard was injured and Lamb was all alone in terms of someone who could really hurt San Francisco’s defense.

Cowboys management took some big gambles this offseason, and I don’t just mean sending Pollard to Tennessee. I can’t think of another franchise that, amid a steady string of playoff teams, got so upset about adding two rookies to the offensive line. That’s hardly the tried-and-true way to upgrade an offense, and neither is taking a gamble with Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn in the backfield.

Lamb will make his money by producing stats that hover around the league lead for the next year or two. He’s one of five wide receivers signing contracts averaging $30 million or more per season, as that position has become a clear No. 2 spending preference, just behind quarterback. Miami’s Tyreek Hill, Detroit’s Amon-Ra St. Brown, Philadelphia’s AJ Brown and Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (who retained the highest average salary after Lamb was signed) are the others, but Miami, Detroit and Philadelphia have significantly better weapons than Dallas. That means a healthy Lamb should finish ahead of that group statistically, and the same goes for his battle with Jefferson, as Minnesota — for now — only has Sam Darnold as its starting QB.

But if Lamb and, in the next year or two, Dak and Micah are all playing for contracts that put them at the top of their positions, they’re going to need better teammates. I doubt new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is a miracle worker. So I can’t imagine the absences of — the long list is coming — linemen Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, Johnathan Hankins and Williams, linebacker Leighton Vander Esch and cornerbacks Stephon Gilmore and Bland (for about six games) are easy to cover up. Tackle Tyron Smith, center Tyler Biadasz and Pollard have all been better than what the Cowboys consider adequate replacements. Younger linemen may be the way to go in the long run, but it won’t be a huge leap forward for 2024.

At least Lamb offers good news, something to celebrate for a franchise that flopped in the playoffs and was more stingy than ever in offseason free agency. Believing in Lamb is great. He’s earned the praise.

Is it too much to ask for 120 carries on end-arounds and a few reps on the final corner for a player who is so richly rewarded?

X: @TimCowlishaw

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