All-Aboard! As Ezekiel Elliott returns to Dallas, is it automatic that he's ready to play in Cowboys vs. Giants?

All-Aboard! As Ezekiel Elliott returns to Dallas, is it automatic that he's ready to play in Cowboys vs. Giants?

FRISCO - Ezekiel Elliott is all-aboard his flight from Cabo to DFW, a strong indication that his holdout is over and his new Dallas Cowboys extension is on the horizon. Really, only two questions remain now:

One, how much will he get paid?

And two, how soon can he be effective?

Zeke’s been a big part of our team; we love him,'' coach Jason Garrett said on Monday. "And once he gets back here, we’ll try to get him integrated as quickly as possible.”

.@EzekielElliott boards his Cabo flight bound for DFW ... and, likely, a coming #Cowboys signing - pic via @mills_mt pic.twitter.com/RSnWBPQANs

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) September 3, 2019

He's about to be here, as the above photo illustrates. And yes, the Cowboys love him enough to have offered a "Gurley-like'' contract, with the true guaranteed money the final stumbling block. Assuming that's been worked out -- along with rumors of a scheduled Wednesday press conference there are rumors of this being "a six-year, $90 million deal'' but the big round numbers aren't nearly as important as the true guarantees -- the next issue is how "quickly'' is "as quickly as possible''?

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones makes it clear that he'd like to have Zeke on the field for Sunday's Week 1 visit from the Giants, and if you are about to write a massive check to the two-time NFL rushing champion, you'd feel the same way.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys have assurances that Elliott has stayed in shape while training in Cabo. ... with some in the media making a big deal of him having lost four pounds over the course of the last four months.

But here inside The Star? I promise you there is some wait-and-see sentiment from the people who work for Mr. Jones. They want to make sure he's not just "in shape,'' but also as close to possible as "football shape.'' There won't be an intellectual problem as it regards the playbook; there might be a physical concern as it regards how soon Zeke can really be Zeke.

How long would it take to get Elliott integrated after skipping all of training camp and the preseason?

“That’s a hypothetical,” Garrett answered. “Zeke is as capable as anybody I know. He’s an experienced player. He’s been a really good player for us and knows our system of football; I don’t think there’ll be a lot of learning there. He’s a smart guy, he’s an instinctive guy. But again, that’s a hypothetical.''

It was a "hypothetical'' on Monday when Garrett said this. The plan is that on Wednesday, when the Cowboys resume practicing, it won't be a "hypothetical'' any more. And as counterintuitive as it might seem, I promise you there are people inside The Star who will not take Zeke's readiness for granted ... and who will be hesitant to throw Mr. Jones' investment into any unnecessary risk.