We’re now a week from the NFL regular season kicking off, and the probability of Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott actually missing games keeps looking stronger.
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Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones told reporters after the team’s preseason game on Thursday that Elliott continuing his holdout into the regular season is an expectation at this point.
If Jones doesn’t want to give Elliott something in the realm of Todd Gurley money soon, missing games is probably a reasonable assumption at this point.
Ezekiel Elliott’s holdout continues
Just a day earlier, Jones was also indicating he wasn’t too worried about Elliott missing regular season games. However, he still reserved some praise for the running back.
The fight over Elliott’s holdout has gotten personal in the last few weeks as the 24-year-old seeks to become the highest-paid running back in NFL history. The Cowboys were recently reported to have offered Elliott enough money to put him in the top 2 (so, second) among running backs, but that wasn’t enough.
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Gurley currently sits atop in running back salary at $14.375 million per year, while Le’Veon Bell makes $13.125 million. The Cowboys’ offer seems to sit between the two.
29 PHOTOSEzekiel Elliott through his careerSee GalleryEzekiel Elliott through his career
COLUMBUS, OH – SEPTEMBER 21:Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs with the ball against the Florida A&M Rattlers at Ohio Stadium on September 21, 2013 in Columbus, Ohio.(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – OCTOBER 18:Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs with the ball against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ohio Stadium on October 18, 2014 in Columbus, Ohio.(Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) 
EAST LANSING, MI – NOVEMBER 8: Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium on November 8, 2014 in East Lansing, Michigan. Ohio State defeated Michigan State 49-37. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) 
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – DECEMBER 06:Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after his team defeated the Wisconsin Badgers 59-0 in the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana.(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
06 December 2014: Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) in action during the NCAA Big 10 Championship football game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Ohio State Buckeyes at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
January 1, 2015: Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) and Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Darron Lee (43) kiss their MVP trophies as they are carted off the field following the Ohio State Buckeyes game versus the Alabama Crimson Tide in their College Football Playoff Semifinal played in the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA. The Ohio State Buckeyes won 42-35. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 12:Running back Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after scoring a 33 yard touchdown in the first quarter against the Oregon Ducks during the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on January 12, 2015 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – JANUARY 10:Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes talks with media during Media Day for the College Football Playoff National Championship at Dallas Convention Center on January 10, 2015 in Dallas, Texas.(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 12:Running back Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after defeating the Oregon Ducks 42 to 20 in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium on January 12, 2015 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – SEPTEMBER 26:Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs with the ball against the Western Michigan Broncos at Ohio Stadium on September 26, 2015 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images) 
September 12 2015: Running back Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes greeting fans before the game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Hawaii Warriors at the Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio (Photo by Jason Mowry/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
24 OCFT 2015: Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) prior to the game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Ohio State Buckeyes played at High Point Solutions Stadium,Piscataway,NJ, (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire) (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
14 November 2015: Ohio State Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) in action during a Big Ten football game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium, in Champaign, IL. (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire) (Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 01:Ezekiel Elliott #15 of the Ohio State Buckeyes kisses the championship trophy after a 44-28 win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the BattleFrog Fiesta Bowl at the University of Phoenix Stadium on January 1, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona.(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28:Ezekiel Elliott of Ohio State holds up a jersey after being picked #4 overall by the Dallas Cowboys during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.(Photo by Jon Durr/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – SEPTEMBER 25:Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after Alfred Morris #46 of the Dallas Cowboys scored against the Chicago Bears in the second quarter at AT&T Stadium on September 25, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) celebrates his third quarter touchdown as the Dallas Cowboys beat the San Francisco 49ers 24-17 on Sunday, Oct. 2, 2016 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. (Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/TNS via Getty Images)
GREEN BAY, WI – OCTOBER 16: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys runs with the ball in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on October 16, 2016 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TX – OCTOBER 28:Dallas Cowboy, Ezekiel Elliott attends the Houston Rockets game against the Dallas Mavericks on October 28, 2016 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 30:Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys hands the ball off to Ezekiel Elliott #21 during the first quarter of a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on October 30, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – OCTOBER 30:Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys runs the ball against Rodney McLeod #23 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the second quarter during a game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium on October 30, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – NOVEMBER 6, 2016: Running back Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys gestures toward the crowd after scoring a touchdown during a game against the Cleveland Browns on November 6, 2016 at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Dallas won 35-10. (Photo by: Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – NOVEMEBER 13:Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys in action against the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 13, 2016 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.(Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – NOVEMBER 24: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys rushes the ball during the fourth quarter against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium on November 24, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – NOVEMBER 24: Dak Prescott #4 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates with Ezekiel Elliott #21 after scoring a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Washington Redskins at AT&T Stadium on November 24, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – DECEMBER 11: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys andOdell Beckham Jr. #13 of the New York Giants exchange jerseys after the game at MetLife Stadium on December 11, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – NOVEMBER 24: Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) share the Galloping Gobbler Award from Fox Sports after the NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins on November 24, 2016 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX. Dallas beats Washington 31-26. (Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 18:Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates after scoring a touchdown by jumping into a Salvation Army red kettle during the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at AT&T Stadium on December 18, 2016 in Arlington, Texas.(Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – DECEMBER 26: Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys takes a knee in the end zone before the Cowboys played the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium on December 26, 2016 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)Up Next
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Even if Elliott were to end his holdout tomorrow, it could still be questionable whether or not he’s ready for Week 1. There have been reports about him staying in shape, but running into NFL defenses is a different animal from working out in Cabo.
If Elliott really does miss regular season games, it will likely be fourth-round rookie Tony Pollard starting at running back for the Cowboys to begin the year.
Pollard has looked excellent in preseason, tallying 84 yards on only 15 rushing attempts along with 19 receiving yards on three completions and three targets. Then again, it’s still only preseason.
Jerry Jones: I don’t negotiate around agents
Jones also seemed to take exception to a recent report that his team is notorious for trying to go around agents and negotiate directly with players, a violation of the collective bargaining agreement and U.S. labor laws.
According to Jones, what he does with players when agents aren’t around is a little more basic than full negotiations.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones: “Let me be real clear about something: I don’t negotiate with players.” pic.twitter.com/10FHQdfXOk
That argument from Jones could just be semantics, but it’s clear that whatever he’s doing with Elliott still isn’t working for now.
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