Adam Schefter's details we get things going here on NFL live with some breaking news out of Dallas Adam shefer what's going on Laura the hold out is Over CD lamb and the Dallas Cowboys have reached agreement on a 4-year $136 million deal that includes $1 million in guaranteed money the Dallas Cowboys now open their season 13 days from now in Cleveland against the Browns and CD lamb is going to be there courtesy of the deal that he struck earlier this afternoon with the Dallas Cowboys we're at the point in the NFL calendar where this deal had to get done and it does today giving cidi some time to ramp up to be ready for that regular season opener versus the Browns they waited this long on purpose right and welcome to NFL live we just heard from Adam Mina KES Dan rosi with us for the hour to mina when you look at the lamb deal does it make sense on the financial front is water wet is the sky blue does Dan orosy love unseasoned food I don't mean to be Pat but this is one of the easiest decisions that Dallas has ever had to make because it was very obvious Adam schfer has made it obvious this entire offseason that this deal would get done um and for a good reason CD lamb was one of the best receivers in the NFL last year he has been for a few years but last year he was exceptional leading the lead in targets catches yards after the catch a great nextg stat called catch right ere expected prob catches OV expected he also led the league that basically looks at whether receivers should complete a catch based on how open they are and where the Defenders are CD was the best in that he has this rare blend of winning at all three levels but catching everything thrown his way he's unbelievable with the ball in his hands I have no questions about CD lamb I have questions about the rest of the Dallas receiving Corp but CD lamb was never in question for me I thought you were going to end out with I have questions about my food so I don't it's not that I don't like any flavor just minimal flavor minimal Dan Orlovsky reacts yeah I mean go to that's really what he's become over the last two seasons in this offense and we've kind of seen him in a bunch of different places there's not a ton of receivers that are one the go-to elite number one guy that also move around in the way that CD lamb moves around and I think you know Mina you just touched on it when it comes to how much production he had last year and that's really going to be for me the big question now that the deal is done is how much volume are they going to be asking of him and then can they rely on I mean this is a guy that led the NFL and targets he was top five in routes run and the question is going to be like can the Cowboys navigate that very fine line you of the beginning part of the season I think they go Cleveland New Orleans Baltimore can they navigate those first couple weeks and stay afloat while they get CD lamb into kind of the the the necessary football shape to be one of those top five Target type of receivers that he's been it makes you kind of think and Adam Mina alluded to this too this is the most no-brainer deal ever why does something like this take so long well I think both sides were stuck in and both sides wanted the deal to go their way and my understanding is that for the previous weeks the two sides were about roughly a million dollars a year apart on average and it gets to a certain point where you say the season is upon us there's no reason to take this any further and if it cost Dallas some extra money then fine that's what it is it shouldn't have gotten to this point it's surprising frankly that it did but sometimes that's what happens with deals in the NFL it's happened in Dallas before and deadline spur actions we've heard it before we'll hear it again but it's true and I think this deal now is the first Domino and now you wait to see if it'll have any bearing on the Jamar Chase situation in Cincinnati some of the other deals that that are out there but the first Domino is falling and I would think every team out there with an unresolved significant situation whether that's Chase in Cincinnati iuk and Trent Williams in San Francisco Assan reic in New York every team has to be going back to revisit that situation to figure out if there's a way to resolve it this week before preparations begin for the regular season opener let's go there okay at lamb is now making 34 million per year second only to Justin Jefferson among non- quarterbacks he's the fifth white out to be making 30 million or more per year along with AJ Brown Aman R st Brown and Tyreek hillt all five of those deals were signed this off season so we're back on NFL live with breaking news that hit earlier today and it is all about CD lamb he signed a massive new contract with the Cowboys it's $136 million for four years now here's more from the Cowboys they just spoke about CD's deal getting Mike McCarthy's comments done it was just great to you know to to get the contract in place and um and and and obviously have them back so the schedule that we have for the week really frankly kind of fits into a ramp up mode so I don't feel like we have to do a whole lot of adjustment but obviously it's a we're going to have a plan for him CD's on his way in here uh we haven't sat down in person yet but the reaction obviously was great everybody in the office was fired up I was anticipating a sooner or later type situation today so it was good to get this done I think we're all relieved Adam how did the contract finally come together well or you heard Mike McCarthy there say sooner rather than later situation we are essentially under two weeks away from the regular season opener it's enough talk it's enough inactivity it's time to get CD lamb back to work and to get him ready to play the regular season opener against the Cleveland Browns the Dallas Cowboys knew how important it was and these two sides had been roughly a million dollars apart in recent weeks there's no reason that a million dollar a year average difference should stand in the way of getting a deal done for one of the best wide receivers in old football and so Dallas and CD lamb sat down today and were able to finalize that deal that brings him back to the team that puts him on track to play in the opener and be the type of factor he was all of last season I mean with lamb now under contract dax's willing to play on the final year of his deal right do we expect this offense to be one of the better units in the NFC I think it depends on how you define better um let's set the Baseline last year this was one of the best offenses in football this year Run game is probably worse you're going from Tony Pard to some combination of Ezekiel Elliott Rico dowle duvon you lose Tyron Smith Tyler gon has looked fantastic the rookie left tackle early on but undoubtedly you know he's a rookie there's going to be some ups and downs I think whether or not this offense can come anywhere close to where they last year is going to go down to a couple of things can you get a leap from one of the young receivers talking about jayen tolber Jake Ferguson by the way very underrated tight end can he take another leap and then I think beyond the play of the offensive line Mike McCarthy you know I think there were some really smart adjustments he made last year with the offense clearly it was very effective but I also think uh there's more that he can do in terms of using the skill players uh setting up Dak Prescott for Success so if he can you know I think Elevate this group of skill players maybe in a way that they weren't at the end of last season they can sustain certainly top 10 level play yeah I think those two rookie offensive linemen are a huge part of that conversation to me his point the change last year was less static more movement and both that was pre- snap and then uh the way they went about their action post Snap they had a ton of more production I would say in that are they going to live in that world or is there going to be a little bit of regression I'd also say this you know probably last year since the ankle injury was the first year that we saw Dak moving in a way that he did early on in his career how much of that is going to continue to be a part of his game I me he made so many plays outside of the pocket last year the plus plays and Brandon Cooks was pretty darn clutch down in the red zone for everyone saying like number two receiver type of thing so can those two things be you know consistent calling cards for that offense I I think the offense we sort of know what that looks DaRon Bland's injury like but another hit to the defense with Don bla he's going to have to have surgery out six to eight weeks projected I me know when you think about that and the way that you assess this defense how does it factor in with your assessment of the team as a whole I think the pass defense will still be fine they're really deep at cornerback because they've had to dip so far you know they've had injuries obviously with Diggs missing the season last year there's pieces that they can move move around there's young players in addition to ones they've added and traded for and then of course they have one of the best fourman rushes in the NFL which helps the secondary I think the biggest question it has nothing to do with that secondary it Remains the linebacker group you go out you add Eric Kendricks you're leaning on young players like de marvan overshown who they drafted last year he was injured can Mike Zimmer get more a better play pardon me uh from the second level can they stay on the field so he doesn't have to play as much dime against teams that are going to go heavy and run the ball that to me is going to be the single B biggest determinant as to whether or not this defense can still play at a high level I've got hesitations after the injury on the secondary I I think Zimmer's coverage and the blitz packages demand so much of a connected element to this secondary because the coverages are going to constantly change this was Diggs and Gilmore and Bland last year now Diggs coming off the ACL no Gilmore no Bland for first at least month of the season I have a some reservation on on how the back end is going to play in this new scheme [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]