For Jerry Jones, striking a new deal with Ezekiel Elliott is a matter of when not if. That goes for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper as well.
The Cowboys owner held court following Sunday's intrasquad scrimmage and said he didn't have any "specific" updates on player contracts, though he noted there were seven or eight players he's either negotiating with or preparing to. But he had conviction that the "top three" among those -- Zeke, Dak and Cooper -- will have new deals in due time.
"Just know that like so many things, it'll happen. It'll happen," Jones said. "There literally is no concern on my part at all about any time frame. That'll happen. The results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. Think about it now. The results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. That always happens when it's that good for both of us."
Of course, it would be good for Dallas to have its All-Pro running back in camp. Prescott and Cooper are present and have both expressed confidence themselves in reaching new agreements with the Cowboys. Elliott, meanwhile, remains in Cabo as his holdout hits Day 10.
For what it's worth, Prescott, who wasn't asked about about his own contract situation but about his missing teammate, reiterated that he and Elliott have been in regular contact. One thing Prescott said he's not doing is trying to talk Zeke into reporting.
"I've talked to him. We've communicated," Prescott said. "As I said, obviously we miss the player that he is, but I know that he's getting better. I know that he's working on his game, he's in shape. He's going to make sure that he comes back, and when he's back on this team he's a better player than before camp, or before the spring. And then, yeah, he's a good friend. Obviously you want him out here, but that's business. ...
Elliott might not be with his team in the physical form but his first tweet in more than two weeks shows he's paying attention to what's going down in Oxnard, California.
