Jason Garrett Expects Ezekiel Elliott To Report To TC
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett expects running back Ezekiel Elliott to report to training camp and is not anticipating a holdout, as Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
It’s uncertain whether Garrett has any inside information or if this is just coach-speak. In any event, Elliott’s reporting would be a welcome development for the Cowboys, who are contemplating a future without Elliott but who obviously want Zeke to be a focal point of their offense for at least 2019. Elliott, for his part, must report to camp by August 6 in order to earn an accrued season towards free agency.
A report last week indicated that Elliott was considering a holdout, and although we heard at the time that the situation could go sideways in a hurry, we also heard that the relationship between player and team had not yet become strained and that the two sides were still working towards an agreement. However, another report on Saturday suggested that Elliott was planning to leave the country this week, and it’s unclear how long he was planning on being away.
It’s also unclear if Dallas and Elliott’s camp have made any progress towards an extension. The Cowboys do not seem to be close to striking a long-term pact with any of their extension-eligible standouts, but if Elliott does report, at least they could avoid a little drama.
No Progress In Talks Between Cowboys, Byron Jones
We have written a great deal about the Cowboys top extension candidates — Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, and Byron Jones — this offseason. It does not appear that the club is particularly close to striking a long-term deal with any of those players, and Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports today that there has been no progress between the Cowboys and Jones (Twitter link).
Dallas made Jones the No. 27 overall pick of the 2015 draft, and though he spent most of his first three years in the league as a safety, he converted to cornerback full-time last season, and it was a highly-successful transition. Jones was one of Pro Football Focus’ best-graded boundary defenders in 2018 en route to a Second Team All-Pro nod, and he has positioned himself nicely for a big payday.
Jones is due roughly $6.2MM in 2019 under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, but a new deal would give him a considerable raise. The Dolphins made Xavien Howard the highest-paid CB in league history several months ago after signing him to a five-year, $76.5MM extension ($46MM guaranteed), and Jones will be shooting for a similar payout.
Given all of the big-money negotiations that the Cowboys are engaged in, it’s not surprising that they haven’t made much progress with Jones. But if they don’t get something soon, Jones may price himself out of the team’s range.
Cowboys Rumors: Cooper, Hurns, Gregory
Here’s the latest on the Cowboys:
- Amari Cooper is in no rush to get his extension done and he’ll report to Cowboys camp on time, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears. Cooper, in all likelihood, is waiting out new deals for Julio Jones, Michael Thomas, and Tyreek Hill before putting pen to paper.
- The Cowboys offered Allen Hurns a pay reduction and he declined, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News tweets. That’s what we suspected when the Cowboys released the veteran on Tuesday afternoon.
- As he works his way back from indefinite suspension for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has made an agent change (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Gregory is now repped by agent Peter Schaffer after parting ways with Steve Weinberg.
Cowboys’ Frederick To Be Ready For Camp
Cowboys All-Pro center Travis Frederick, who dealt with Guillain-Barré syndrome last year, is expected to be active for the start of training camp, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With that, he’ll avoid the NFI list and will be ready to go for team activities. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Release WR Allen Hurns]
Frederick missed the entire 2018 season as he battled his condition, but all signs have been pointing to a full return in 2019. Before the illness, Frederick started 80 straight games for the Cowboys.
Frederick had another productive season in 2017, as Pro Football Focus ranked him third among eligible centers. With his limp gone and his overall condition vastly improved, he should be on track for a strong season in ’19.
Cowboys Release WR Allen Hurns
The Cowboys are cutting wide receiver Allen Hurns, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The Cowboys were reportedly asking Hurns to take a pay cut this offseason and his release could be related to that matter. 
Hurns signed a two-year, $12MM deal with Dallas last offseason, and was slated to have a cap hit of $6.25MM this year. Given his level of production last season, it’s not surprising that the Cowboys wanted to reduce that number or remove him from the roster. Still, they exercised the Year Two option in March.
With Dez Bryant gone, Hurns was supposed to compete for one of the Cowboys’ top receiving jobs after Dallas signed him away from Jacksonville. But he never showed much chemistry with Dak Prescott, and he quickly got buried on the depth chart after the emergence of rookie Michael Gallup and the trade for Amari Cooper. Hurns caught 20 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season.
His season ended with a devastating ankle injury suffered in the first round of the playoffs against the Seahawks. The injury was gruesome, but Hurns was said to be recovering well.
Hurns will now look to prove his health elsewhere and look to regain the form he exhibited in Jacksonville.
Mark Sanchez Retires From NFL
Mark Sanchez is trading in his helmet for a headset. The former Jets, Cowboys, and Redskins quarterback will retire from the NFL to become a college football analyst for ABC and ESPN, according to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post. 
Sanchez, 32, spent ten years in the NFL. His most notable run at quarterback came with the Jets, where he began his career with back-to-back AFC Championship Games under Rex Ryan. Ryan was especially fond of Sanchez and even got a tattoo of his wife wearing Sanchez’s No. 6 jersey.
Sanchez may be best remembered these days for the “butt fumble,” but his early accomplishments should not be discounted. The former No. 5 overall pick was a quality young leader for those early Jets teams and enjoyed a multi-year run as a New York media darling.
Now, the USC product will relive his other glory days in the broadcast booth. We here at PFR wish Sanchez the best in retirement.
Latest On Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott
Adding some additional spice to the Ezekiel Elliott–Cowboys situation, the running back may be making plans to be unavailable when his team convenes for training camp. While it is still uncertain if Elliott will indeed hold out, a source informed Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk the two-time rushing champion plans to leave the country in the coming days. Extension-eligible since January, Elliott is considering staying away from Cowboys camp due to his contract. The coming days were expected to be key for the Cowboys and Elliott, but the running back’s travel plans may affect these proceedings.
The Cowboys have prioritized extensions for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper, both entering contract years, and have been rumored to be considering a future without an Elliott extension. The 24-year-old star has until August 6 to report to camp in order to accrue a fourth year toward free agency, so any holdout past that date would be quite bold. But withholding services from a team whose offense revolves around him could be a game plan for Elliott, regardless of the free agency-related date.
Cowboys Best Choice A 2019 Elliott Re-Up?
The Cowboys‘ strategy of prioritizing extension for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper over Ezekiel Elliott have seemingly influenced the two-time rushing champion to consider a holdout. While Elliott is signed through the 2020 season and can be controlled on a 2021 franchise tag, a path the Cowboys appear to be pondering, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap tweets the team’s best move would be to extend Elliott now in order to have the remaining $12.9MM on his contract become part of the extension’s guarantee structure. The Cowboys should structure a deal that would enable them to cut bait after the first year of the extension, which if done now would be 2021, Fitzgerald adds (on Twitter). That would be unlikely to happen if Elliott heads into 2020 without an extension. Having not yet met the service-time requirements for free agency, Elliott must report to the Cowboys by Aug. 6. This gives the team considerable leverage against a 2019 holdout. A 2020 holdout would become more complicated.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Lawrence, Giants
Cowboys defensive end Demarcus Lawrence is expected to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list, though he hopes to be “ready by Week One,” as Mike Florio of PFT writes.
The Cowboys certainly hope that’s the case, though recovery from labrum surgery can be tricky. Lawrence was playing through the injury in 2017 and 2018 and didn’t miss any time due to the injury, so he could bounce back quicker than most from the operation.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Giants tight end Rhett Ellison may be a candidate for release, Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com opines. Ellison’s contract puts him in some jeopardy – he’s set to count for a $5.75MM hit with a potential for $3.25MM in savings if he’s cut. However, the Giants tend to rely on two tight end sets and No. 1 TE Evan Engram has suffered four injuries in the last eleven months. Dunleavy also listed outside linebacker Kareem Martin as a potential cut since he was signed to be a starter last year and now profiles as a backup. However, releasing him would save just $1.1MM against $4.83MM in dead money.
- Melvin Gordon‘s threat to hold out from the Chargers could be a canary in the coal mine for the Giants and Saquon Barkley, Dunleavy writes. Barkley is still on his rookie contract, but when that deal draws to a close, he could very easily stare down the G-Men the way that Gordon is doing to the Bolts. Other teams have downplayed the value of RBs, but GM Dave Gettleman has publicly lavished Barkley with effusive praise, which may impact future negotiations. The GM has said that Barkley has been “touched by the hand of G-d” and has also routinely shrugged off anti-RB analytics.
Latest On Ezekiel Elliott's Potential Holdout
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is definitely considering a holdout, though Yahoo’s Charles Robinson reports that Elliott has not yet made up his mind one way or another. However, Robinson acknowledged earlier today (via Twitter) that the situation could go sideways fast. He writes that the club has discussed an extension for Elliott for a month or so, but those talks have not progressed in any meaningful way, so Elliott is now exploring his options.