With every milestone in the NFL's calendar, there comes unfinished business or unanswered questions for every team in the NFL. Whether its holes that still need to be filled on the roster or contracts that still need to be finalized, there are things that each team has to figure out before going to training camp. With less than a week to go till the Dallas Cowboys open training camp, the major unfinished business left for the Cowboys is figuring out the contract situations of Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper, and Ezekiel Elliott.
With training camp approaching, you may feel concerned that the Cowboys won't get their offensive stars extended prior to the start of the regular season. Well, here are three reasons why you shouldn't worry.
1. Deadlines Make Deals
The most important thing to remember when it comes to Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper is that they each have a year left on their deals. In the case of Ezekiel Elliott, he has two years left on his rookie contract. So Dallas Cowboys don't have to feel any sense of urgency to get a deal done with any of the three.
Unlike with the franchise tag deadline day, the Cowboys and the players have more of a soft deadline with training camp approaching. The only reason they may want to get deals done with Prescott, Cooper, and Elliott is so contract talks aren't hanging over their heads throughout the regular season, which could lead to a distraction for the players and potentially for the team.
The Cowboys are eventually going to come to agreements with their three big offensive stars, it's just a matter of when.
With Super Bowl aspirations in 2019, it would be wise for the Dallas Cowboys to get these deals done prior to the team reporting for training camp. Putting contract negotiations behind them with Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, and Amari Cooper will allow their principle offensive weapons to focus on getting the Dallas Cowboys back to the Super Bowl.
2. August 4th Deadline to Report
Ezekiel Elliott is going to play in 2019. He may hold out of training camp, but any hold out will be short-lived. In order for 2019 to count toward his years of service, which will allow Elliott to hit free agency as scheduled after the 2020 season, he'll need to be with the team by August 4th.
The report that a hold out is an option on the table seems more like information that his people want out in the press to put a little pressure on the Dallas Cowboys front office.
Ezekiel Elliott is the most dominant running back in the NFL and should be paid like one. The only conundrum is that the Cowboys still have him locked up for two more years.
If the Cowboys and Elliott can come to an agreement, it will likely be structured similarly to the deal Todd Gurley signed at a similar point during his rookie contract.
I fully anticipate the two-time NFL rushing champion to be on the field when the Dallas Cowboys play the New York Giants in week one. Even if Elliott misses a part of training camp, it's not necessarily a bad thing. His absence allows you the opportunity to see what you have in Tony Pollard, Darius Jackson, and Mike Weber and decreases the usage at a position where usage matters immensely.
3. They Pay Who They Want to Pay
If recent history has shown us anything it's that the Dallas Cowboys find a way to pay the players they want to pay. DeMarco Murray and Cole Beasley were allowed to walk because the Dallas Cowboys didn't want to pay those players the money they were being offered on the free-agent market. Dez Bryant was released because the Dallas Cowboys didn't feel he warranted his big cap hit.
On the other hand, when you look at Tyrone Crawford and the contract that he's carrying with the team, you see a player that they don't mind having on the books for that money because he's a valuable leader on the defensive line. His ability to play both defensive end and defensive tackle and play both at a starter's level makes him an incredible asset for the Dallas Cowboys. He hasn't been nearly as productive as they would have hoped when they signed him to a big extension, but he's been a good player for the Dallas Cowboys.
When it came time to get DeMarcus Lawrence done so that he could have shoulder surgery and be available for the early stages of the season, the Dallas Cowboys and DeMarcus Lawrence's representatives got the deal done. With the contract in place and surgery behind him, Lawrence looks like he may be ready to start the season on the active roster instead of the physically unable to perform (P.U.P. list).
Whether it's allowing Ronald Leary to leave in free agency or releasing DeMarcus Ware who was battling injuries in the latter stages of his career, the Dallas Cowboys have always found a way to pay or not pay players.
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The Dallas Cowboys front office cohort of Stephen Jones, Jerry Jones, and Will McClay know just how important Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper are to the success of their franchise in 2019 and beyond. They'll get those players paid. At this point, it's only a matter of time.
Cowboys fans need not worry.
