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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and running back Ezekiel Elliott.
- Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones says his team will likely start the year without star running back Ezekiel Elliott.
- Elliott is currently holding out for a new contract, hoping to become the highest-paid running back in the NFL.
- Jones is holding firm for now, but things could change should the Cowboys get off to a rough start to the season without Elliott in the backfield.
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Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has come to accept that his team will likely start the year without star running back Ezekiel Elliott.
"I'm operating as though right now he's going to miss regular-season games," Jones said after the Cowboys' final preseason game on Thursday night, per ESPN's Todd Archer. "My entire expectation for what we're putting together as a team right now would anticipate with him holding out and not having any training camp that he's going to miss games. I just accept that."
Elliott, who still has two years left on his rookie deal, is currently holding out for a new contract and hoping to become the highest-paid running back in the league. The Cowboys had reportedly offered Elliott an extension that would put him just behind Rams running back Todd Gurley's $14 million a year, but Elliott refused to budge, with the distance betweeen the two sides likely caused by a negotiation over how much of his deal would be fully guaranteed.
As things stand, a resolution is not in sight, and we may see Elliott's hold out continue well into the season should both sides continue to refuse to budge. Elliott has yet to show up to training camp, and is currently working out on his own in Cabo San Lucas to prepare for the season. Meanwhile, Jerry Jones is telling reporters that while he'd prefer Elliott back with the team, he's not in a rush to get him back, as his presence will be more important come the later weeks of the season.
"We'll be needing Zeke," Jones said. "Anytime we can get him out there, we'll be needing him, so we don't have deadlines here."
The start of the Cowboys season could be what winds up tilting the two sides back towards each other. Dallas opens with a relatively easy slate that includes a home game against the Giants and Dolphins and a trip to Washington D.C. to play the Redskins - all games in which the Cowboys should be comfortable favorites.
Should Dallas be able to take care of business without Elliott in the backfield, Jones will likely be comfortable continuing to play hardball with his running back. But if the Cowboys stumble out of the gate against the Giants, especially with the loss including a poor showing of the rushing game, Jones might begin to feel the heat to make a deal.
Elliott is looking to surpass Gurley's $14 million annually and $45 million guaranteed - whether or not he gets it might come down to how well his team plays without him.
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