Jerry Jones Fine with Ezekiel Elliott Holdout, Wants RB 'Fresh' for Playoffs
Ezekiel Elliott is continuing his holdout despite the Cowboys' season opener being less than two weeks away, but Dallas owner Jerry Jones doesn't appear to be overly concerned.
"We've got a marathon here," Jones said, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. "We want Zeke when we get to the playoffs. We want Zeke when we're in the dog days of this season. ... A fresh Zeke, if we got to the end, would be great."
Elliott is holding out of Cowboys' camp as he seeks a new contract. The two-time Pro Bowler is slated to make $3.85 million in 2019 and $9.1 million in 2020 if he doesn't receive a new deal.
Dallas guard Zach Martin said on Tuesday the Cowboys have a "damn good back in Tony Pollard," should they have to play the Giants without Elliott in Week 1.
"Listen, we're preparing for the season and you know we're going to play with what we got -- and what we got is a damn good back in Tony Pollard," Martin said. "Obviously you want him [Elliott] out here, but we are preparing to get ready for Week 1."
Elliott led the NFL in rushing in 2016 and 2018. He has 40 career touchdowns in 40 games.
Dallas won the NFC East for the third time in five years in 2018 before losing to the Rams in the divisional round. The Cowboys have not reached the NFC Championship since 1995.
