Cowboys Contracts: Stephen Jones jokes Ezekiel Elliott's agent 'won't talk to me'

OXNARD - Dallas Cowboys COO Stephen Jones is trying to stay true to his vow to say nothing to the media about contract negotiations with holdout running back Ezekiel Elliott. One way to accomplish that is to pretend there is nothing to say.

“They won’t talk to me,” a laughing Jones said of Zeke's representation.

That's not entirely true, of course, though a stalemate certainly exists here.

And what about extension negotiations on wide receiver Amari Cooper? Has anything new happened there as a result of the Saints' five-year, $100-million deal with wide receiver Michael Thomas?

"No,'' Jones said, and that may not be entirely true, either, given that Cooper agent Joel Segal recently spent time here in Oxnard with Jerry and Stephen Jones, time that apparently included a dinner.

To be sure, the lines of communication are available, if not fully open, on Elliott and Cooper and QB Dak Prescott, too. But the game of Chicken is open as well, all involved waiting for the other side to blink.

“There hasn’t been a lot of dialogue,'' Stephen said. "That would be my one update.''

Meanwhile, as we noted on Saturday, Cooper was held out of practice with a bruised heel. And All-Pro guard Zack Martin, as we first reported, does not have a serious back issue (as shown on an MRI) but will likely sit out for a few days of rest and rehab.

“Any time a guy is not out here,'' Jones said, "you worry. Like anything, you are going to be real cautious here and get (Martin) on a schedule where he feels good about it.”

Both stars could miss today's Blue-White Scrimmage. If Cooper is unavailable, that means more chances for youngsters like Reggie Davis and Jon'Vea Johnson to get some time alongside starters Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb (who had a vet's day off on Saturday). In the case of the offensive line, Stephen Jones said the club is searching the waiver wire for help at guard. Dallas also wants to add a body at cornerback.

Meanwhile, maybe the top name to watch at the Blue-White is Tony Pollard, the rookie running back who simply plays at a different speed than the other backs. When asked about young players off to good starts at camp, Stephen said, "He's the one who jumps out for me.''

Jones added that different factions on the coaching staff want Pollard on the field for them -- on offense and on assorted special-teams units.

“I worry about him getting too much,'' Jones said. "Everybody wants him.”