TODAY, 7:10am: Jones continues to hint that a reunion with Elliott could be coming. When asked why the Cowboys didn’t add to the RB position through the first two days of the draft, the team’s owner pointed back to their former star.
“First of all, the draft’s not over and that’s a thought,” Jones said (via ESPN’s Todd Archer). “And it was a long time before a running back was taken in today’s draft. But we also are keenly interested in seeing what the future might look like with Zeke.”
FRIDAY, 4:45pm: A deal with Elliott remains “increasingly imminent” at this point, something which would remain the case even with Brooks or another rookie being selected tonight, per Moore’s colleague Michael Gehlken. It will be interesting to see if further progress on a Dallas agreement produces a response from the other interested party Jones mentioned, or if a reunion officially comes together in the near future.
12:21pm: The Cowboys separated from Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-year, $90MM extension in 2023, but a reality in which the running back is tied to two Dallas contracts on this year’s payroll appears firmly in play.
Rumblings about an Elliott-Cowboys reunion have surfaced at multiple points this offseason, and the team met with the two-time rushing champion Wednesday. Elliott and his agent met were seen with Cowboys brass at multiple locations Wednesday, and Jerry Jones confirmed (via the Dallas Morning News’ David Moore) team brass “spent a lot of time with Zeke” this week.
Jones also said if (when?) the Cowboys draft a running back Friday night it would not have any bearing on how they approach an Elliott reunion. At least one other known suitor exists, per Jones, but Moore points to this reunion coming to pass. Jones said he thought Elliott played “very well” late last season with the Patriots.
This reunion was believed to be on the radar months after the team made the former star a cap casualty, but Elliott confirmed it did not gain much traction. That is no longer the case. Jones also said the $6MM — stemming from signing bonus proration on Elliott’s 2019 extension — that remains on the team’s payroll will not affect how the team proceeds with Elliott now.
“Not even a consideration,’’ Jones said. “He’s earned that $6 million. We’ve already spent it. You have to pay that whether he’s here or not. It won’t affect one thing with how he would help our team this year.’’
Elliott, 28, played…