Dallas Cowboys Lineman Zack Martin Addresses Ezekiel Elliott Holdout

Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Zack Martin has broken silence on running back Ezekiel Elliott and his contract situation. Martin talked to reporters about Elliott and made it clear he wants the All-Pro running back on the field as soon as possible. However, Martin and the rest of the Cowboys are prepared to enter the season with Tony Pollard as the starting running back if Elliott is still holding out.

Zack Martin would like Ezekiel Elliott to be back with the Cowboys, but “We’re preparing for the season. We’re going to play with what we got, and what we’ve got is a damn good back in Tony Pollard. Obviously you want him out here, but we’re preparing to get ready for Week 1.”

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 28, 2019

"We're preparing for the season," Martin said. "We're going to play with what we got, and what we've got is a damn good back in Tony Pollard. Obviously you want him out here, but we're preparing to get ready for Week 1."

Elliott has been a standout running back the last three years and Martin has a big for his success. Martin has played in 78 games with 78 starts and he has been named to the Pro Bowl five times. In 2014, he was named to the All-Rookie team and he's also been named to the All-Pro team every season he's been a pro.

So Martin alone should be a reason Elliott would want to come back. Elliott talked to Maxim this past July, admitting he wanted to be a member of the Cowboys for as long as possible.

"I love playing for the Dallas Cowboys, I love the organization, my teammates. I do want to be a Cowboy for the rest of my life and hopefully that's a possibility," Elliott said. "But even Emmitt Smith, the greatest running back ever, ended up going to play a couple of years for another organization. So it's just the nature of the game, but I want to be a Dallas Cowboy for as long as I can."

Elliott has not been practicing with the Cowboys as he's been holding out for a new contract for a month. Currently, the Ohio State alum has two years remaining on his current deal and he's scheduled to make $3.8 million this season and more than $9 million on his fifth-year option in 2020.

Elliott was selected by the Cowboys No. 4 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. In his three seasons in Dallas, Elliott has rushed for 4,048 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has led the NFL in rushing yards in 2016 and 2018 and he has led the NFL in rush yards per carry the last three seasons.