The Cowboys, having missed the playoffs the last two seasons, are close to Super Bowl contention, according to CeeDee Lamb.
The Dallas Cowboys showed a lot of promise under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
While the franchise would ultimately miss the playoffs with a 7-9-1 record, there were some positives to take into the offseason.
The biggest one was the offense, led by Schottenheimer.
Dak Prescott was again elite, making his fourth Pro Bowl after throwing for 4,552 yards and 30 TDs. CeeDee Lamb surpassed 1,000 receiving yards again, and George Pickens posted 1,429 yards and 9 TDs. Javonte Williams rushed for 1,201 yards and 11 TDs, too.
So yeah, the offense was elite.
The defense? Not so much under Matt Eberflus. In fact, it was one of the worst in football.
So if the defense, under new coordinator Christian Parker, can improve to be just league average, and the offense continues its form, Dallas "should" be playoff-bound in 2026.
But how close are the Cowboys to Super Bowl contention?
CeeDee was asked that exact question on the Dan Patrick Show.
"I feel like we're very close," Lamb said. We just got to we got to put the pieces together, right? As we know, our offense was fire. Our defense wasn't as good. But once we combine those two things, we got a couple pieces that we need to bring back offensively.
"And I'm pretty sure everybody here knows exactly who I'm talking about. But, yeah, get our defense together."
So Lamb feels the Cowboys are right there in terms of how close they are to a Super Bowl.
Much of that is predicated on Pickens and Williams returning, both of whom are slated to be free agents. So signing those two is a must.
Defensively, that is where the real work is.
With the Cowboys likely needing three or four starting-caliber players, if not more, to help reshape the unit under Parker, there is a lot of wheeling and dealing that has to be done in free agency.
Plus, Dallas has two first-round picks in the upcoming draft, so more weaponry to add to Parker's defense.
Is Lamb right, though? Are the Cowboys very close to being a team in Super Bowl contention?
They have the offense, no doubt. But let's see what the franchise does in free agency and the draft before we make any definitive statements.