Running back Ezekiel Elliott is “late” to training camp and, as a non-report, can be subject to fines under the guidelines of the CBA, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday.
Jones did not use the word “holdout” to describe Elliott’s status. “He is, uh … he’s late. We have officially reported, and so he’s a non-report officially,” Jones said.
The Cowboys had their conditioning run and physicals and held a team meeting Friday. Their first practice in Oxnard, California, is Saturday.
Elliott is seeking a new contract. He has two years left on his existing rookie deal.
Rumors have persisted for most of the offseason that Elliott would sit out camp in hopes of earning a long-term contract extension, but he did not miss a day of the voluntary offseason program or mandatory minicamp in June. Under his current contract, Elliott is set to make $3.85 million in 2019 and $9.09 million on the 2020 fifth-year option the team picked up in the spring.
The running backs on the Cowboys’ roster not named Ezekiel Elliott have combined for six carries and 16 yards in their careers, all from Darius Jackson in last year’s season finale. The other two are rookie draft picks Tony Pollard and Mike Weber.