As with Dak Prescott (last time), DeMarcus Lawrence, Zeke Elliott, Zack Martin and, going back, Dez Bryant, this was a public feud with a predictable ending. Dallas generally doesn’t let its stars walk in their prime. The Joneses don’t mind getting on the mat with these guys in negotiations either.

In this specific situation, the cowboys would tell youand Stephen Jones said it explicitly to me last month, that Lamb was simply not going to make a deal last year when he was first eligible. Waiting made sense, given that a bunch of receivers were likely to make deals in 2024, and those deals did get made. The big deal, of course, was for Justin Jefferson in Minnesota, and it’s no coincidence that when that deal got made, Lamb’s situation changed.

He decided to stick with it, to try to push the issue. There was a gap that had to be bridged. It took time. It’s done now. Will all that bitterness affect Lamb’s game? Probably not.

• While we’re at it, count me among those who think the decades-long debate over the title of general manager in Dallas is overrated, the aftermath of what Cowboys owner And GM Jerry Jones said to my buddy Clarence Hillwho just jumped over to the ALLCITY DLLS site after nearly three decades with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Why? Two reasons.

First, the Cowboys have good people running the show in roles comparable to those of other organizations. Will McClay has been running the scouting department for over a decade and could have found a GM position elsewhere if he wanted to leave (he purposely waited, and his time to leave may come soon). Todd Williams has been running the cap operations side of the team for a generation.

Second, the roster has never been the problem in Dallas. They have been one of the most talented teams in the NFL since the end of the Bill Parcells era nearly 20 years ago.

For many owners, the call to not give someone the GM title is a matter of principle. The Cincinnati Bengals have never had one, with owner Mike Brown assuming the role. Yet they have had director of player personnel Duke Tobin in a de facto GM position for years, and Tobin has done a tremendous job of keeping the roster stocked. Patriots owner Robert Kraft has taken a similar approach, believing that the GM title should go to someone who can oversee the entire organization. He has never had a GM. So while Scott Pioli and Nick Caserio have done a tremendous job of building championship rosters, neither has ever held the title.

Of course it’s a big event in Dallas, because everything is a big thing with the Cowboys. It’s also because of the history with Jerry Jones holding that title, and what it meant to Jimmy Johnson and the team in the ’90s, and because the Cowboys haven’t lifted the Lombardi Trophy since.

But as far as having the people to make a really good roster? The Cowboys have had that. And if you want to argue about how things are set up beyond that, well, that’s really up for debate.

• Final decisions are Tuesday, and when I looked at some of the names that are being offered on the trade market, I found the Denver Broncos’ trade bait interesting. Especially since they’ve let the other 31 clubs know that veteran wideout Tim Patrick and running back Samaje Perine are available and will be released if they’re not traded.

It’s not a stunner. But it does confirm what Sean Payton has said about his rookie class this offseason, and what he said about the group directly to me earlier this month.

“I’m encouraged by this rookie class,” he said. “I’ll tell you, people underestimate this (Devaughn) Vele that we got later in the draft, Troy Franklin in the fourth round, Kaden Ellis’ brother (Jonah). I was telling (Broncos co-owner/CEO) Greg (Penner) about the 2006 class and the ’17 draft class in New Orleans. This ’24 draft class, you look at it—it has a chance to be something you look back on…”

That Franklin and Vele have given the team viable development options at receiver makes Patrick redundant, and fifth-round running back Audric Estime has paved the way for Perine to leave. So, again, those would be, to use Payton’s word, encouraging signs.

• The Kansas City Chiefs are making a big move at receiver by bringing back Juju Smith-Schuster, with Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson and Mecole Hardman already in the mix. And there are two good reasons for that.

Brown will miss time early in the season with a shoulder injury, while there is still the possibility that Rice will serve a suspension to start the year, news that will likely come in the next day or so (the Friday before Labor Day is always a popular spot for a news dump). Smith-Schuster is a natural slot receiver, and that’s where most of Rice’s snaps would come.

How much Smith-Schuster has left is, of course, another question.

• Out of curiosity, I looked up how rare it is for Minnesota Vikings first-round rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy to be out before the season starts. The answer, for this millennium, is basically: terribly.

I keep a chart of when first-round quarterbacks got their first start, going back to 2000. In the 24 draft cycles before this one, 69 quarterbacks have been drafted in the first round. Only three have failed to play a single snap as a rookie: Jordan Love in ’20 for the Green Bay Packers, Jason Campbell in ’05 for Washington, and Carson Palmer in 2000 for the Bengals. Those three weren’t injured, just benched.

So if Vikings fans feel cursed, I get it. I also believe McCarthy will benefit from learning this year as he watches Sam Darnold go through the ups and downs of a season. Especially with the staff the Vikings have in place for their quarterbacks.

• I wonder if the owners will tweak the new kickoff at their private equity meeting in Minnesota on Tuesday. I would suggest moving the touchback to the 35. I think a lot of teams will kick the ball deep into the end zone early in the game because they think the five extra yards they’ll give their opponents are worth studying to see how other teams handle it early in the year. But if five yards becomes 10, with the ball going to the 35 instead of the 30, I think those teams will think twice about that strategy.

• Mike Williams’ starting team practices with the New York Jets are a big deal: They’ve slowly reintroduced him to the offense in recent weeks. But Williams will have to earn his snaps, coming back from a torn ACL. Allen Lazard has shown new life in camp and clearly has the confidence of Aaron Rodgers, and the coaches have a plan for rookie Malachi Corley. So how Williams fits into that is an open question.

• One thing to take away from today’s avalanche of news about the bottom of the list is how many teams are keeping three quarterbacks. The NFLPA’s rejection of a proposed rule change that would allow teams to freely sign and retire emergency quarterbacks could certainly have an impact. The union didn’t want to set a precedent where guys who should be on the active roster would be hidden away on the practice squad roster.

• Congratulations Jason and Travis Kelce on their new podcast deal. Obviously, there are many reasons for the value of the podcast. But one thing all players should keep in mind: both of these guys were still active players when they started, which added a lot of value and uniqueness and attracted an audience that they can now maintain and grow.

• The Washington Commanders renaming their stadium just makes me think how badly they needed a new stadium. Hopefully it happens, and it happens in DC