Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones recently said that he was not worried about getting Ezekiel Elliott under contract, saying that they were in a marathon. His point was that the team needed Zeke for the playoffs and the dog days of the season when they were fighting for the NFC East crown. These remarks were met with some skepticism, but Jones just doubled down.
The team held its annual awards luncheon on Wednesday afternoon, handing out hardware to those that earned Offensive MVP or Defensive MVP. Despite being named as the best player on offense, Elliott was nowhere to be found as he continues his holdout. Jones touched on his absence during a speech and once again explained that he has faith in the star soon rejoining the team.
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“We’re missing one but we’ll have him on the field,” Jones said. “And I’m not joking.”
Jerry Jones on Ezekiel Elliott missing the #DallasCowboys kickoff luncheon: “We’re missing one but we’ll have him on the field. And I’m not joking.” @NBCDFW @1053thefan pic.twitter.com/i3rrlQT9v9
— Pat Doney (@PatDoneyNBC5) August 28, 2019
Following his speech, Jones met with reporters and provided as many details as he could about the ongoing negotiations. Although he was understandably restrained due to the tenuous nature surrounding Zeke’s return to the field.
“If we don’t have him early, we’re going to use him when he gets in late,” Jones said, per Michael Gelhken of the Dallas Morning News. Chief Operating Officer Stephen Jones added that it didn’t do any good to keep talking about the extension. The Cowboys would simply continue working on getting a deal done.
With each passing day, it appears more and more likely that the former fourth overall pick from 2016 will not be making his season debut until some meaningful games have been played. This will likely put rookie Tony Pollard into the limelight as he strives to keep this offense moving while providing balance for quarterback Dak Prescott.
Once Zeke returns, however, he will not be held back in the slightest. Jones and co. know that this running back is the motor of the offense, and they will be ensuring that he is seeing as many opportunities as possible.
There is some concern about Elliott coming back from an extended holdout and tweaking his hamstring or suffering another soft-muscle issue, but the team leadership has faith in his work ethic. They believe that he will be healthy and ready to roll after training on his own in Cabo.
