Ezekiel Elliott is reportedly heading to Cabo while the Dallas Cowboys practice at training camp, and comments made by owner Jerry Jones indicate he may be away from the team for quite some time.
Elliott is officially a training camp holdout as he seeks a contract extension.
Speaking about the situation with CBS 12 in Dallas-Fort Worth, Jones made some eyebrow-raising comments that indicate he isn’t sure about the true value of paying a top back top dollar.
“The point there is, you don’t have to have a rushing champion to win a Super Bowl … Emmitt was the first one to do it,” Jones said.
He continued to offer a skeptical take on whether paying Elliott is really in the best interest of the Cowboys.
“That’s one of the dilemmas at running back is that the league knows that you can win Super Bowls and not have the Emmitt Smith back there or not have Zeke back there,” Jones said.
The Cowboys Pro Bowler is undoubtedly one of the best running backs in the league. Elliott is also the key to Dallas’ offense running smoothly, whether Jones wants to admit it or not.
It’s going to be fascinating to see how this situation unfolds. Dallas isn’t the only team missing its top running back, either. The Los Angeles Chargers have Melvin Gordon out of camp, and general manager Tom Telesco recently indicated they are willing to go forward without him if that’s what ends up happening.
Running backs are clearly devalued in today’s NFL. And given how stars emerge every year from the latter rounds and undrafted free agents, it’s not hard to see why.