Cowboys' Jason Garrett Talks Ezekiel Elliott's Timeline to Report for Week 1

Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Monday that there is no date when Ezekiel Elliott has to return to the team in order to play Week 1 against the New York Giants.

"Zeke is as capable as anybody I know. He's an experienced player, he's been a really good player for us, he knows our system of football," Garrett told reporters. "I don't think they'll be a lot of learning there. He's a smart guy, an instinctive guy. But again, that's a hypothetical. We're just focused on the guys we have right now. We're going to go practice as well as we can the right way to prepare for the Giants."

That would indicate that Zeke could show up from his holdout as late as Saturday and still suit up for the Cowboys. Dallas and its Pro Bowl running back have been engaged in protracted contract negotiations that have kept Elliott away from the team all of training camp and the preseason.

Tony Pollard would be in line to start for the Cowboys if Elliott misses any game action. The rookie fourth-round pick has had a stellar preseason and packs a dynamism as a runner and pass-catcher out of the backfield.

Elliott has been the best running back in football since he was selected in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft. He is one of 13 players in NFL history to rush for at least 4,000 yards in his first three seasons, and Jim Brown (104.3) is the only player to average more rushing yards per game than Elliott (101.2) all-time. 

The Cowboys have offered Elliott a contract that would make him the second-highest paid running back in the NFL behind Todd Gurley. However, Elliott and his representation want the deal to eclipse Gurley's—leading to a stalemate in negotiations.

There have been conflicting reports about how much progress has been made between the Cowboys and Elliott. There were numerous optimistic reports over the weekend that seemed to hint a deal was coming soon, but Jane Slater of NFL Network reported the two sides are "not close" on Monday.

The Cowboys could fine Elliott nearly $1.5 million for missing training camp and the preseason. If he misses regular-season time, he could be subject to further fines, forfeit game checks and have to fork over around $1 million of his signing bonus. It's up to the team's discretion whether they want to pursue those measures.