Cowboys Reveal Thought on Signing Zeke; Is Mike McCarthy Wrong?
After the positive PED test on Dallas Cowboys running back Ronald Jones that resulted in a two-game suspension, many began to wonder if another running back could be brought into Oxnard for the rest of training camp.
Despite Cowboys owner Jerry Jones leaving the door open when asked about a potential return for Ezekiel Elliott on Tuesday during a radio interview, coach Mike McCarthy followed it up by seemingly slamming the door shut.
“We’re not just going to hit a bump and give up on the path,” McCarthy said of the Cowboys' running back room. “We want to see these young guys. We want to see them play in games.”
Is McCarthy’s position wrong? Is the Cowboys’ plan wrong?
When the Cowboys originally released Elliott in March, they never ruled out the possibility of bringing the former first-round pick back. The move to let Elliott go was about the once-market-setting second contract that the Cowboys gave him before his decline in production. The Jones “salary-cap pie” plan: If Dallas was going to be able to keep its stars like Micah Parsons, CeeDee Lamb, and Trevon Diggs, they couldn't afford to pay Zeke anymore.
This obviously means any re-signing of the 28-year-old, who is well-liked and respected in the locker room at The Star, will have to be on the Cowboys' terms financially.
Yet, even if Zeke would be willing to take a massive pay cut, McCarthy doesn't seem interested in abandoning his plan of developing a young running back room.
“The development of all of those guys so far has been impressive. I thought the running back group as a whole had a solid day … We’ll just continue to develop the room," McCarthy said following practice on Tuesday.
Without a veteran like Zeke in the room aside from Tony Pollard, this suspension gives the Cowboys a chance to evaluate further Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle, and Kansas State rookie Deuce Vaughn.
Vaughn has quickly become a fan favorite and social media star at camp, as videos of the 5-foot-7 running back have spread almost anytime he makes a play.
So no, the Cowboys won't be looking into the idea of Zeke's return ... at least not yet, according to McCarthy.
“But this is about the bigger picture," McCarthy said. “It goes well beyond the running back room. How you fit it together. There is a financial projection that is involved in a lot of these decisions."
But mostly … this is about a plan … with “bumps” assumed … and no Zeke assumed.
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