Dallas Cowboys: Two things Ezekiel Elliott’s holdout could prove

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is in the midst of a holdout. If he does miss regular-season games, it could provide clarity in two major ways.

The Dallas Cowboys are in the thick of their training camp preparations for this upcoming regular season. As heavily reported, there is one key member of the team that isn’t present.

Star running back Ezekiel Elliott is holding out for a new deal with the team. While he is reportedly training at his favorite little hideaway somewhere in Cabo San Lucas, his team is surely hard at work as they prepare for this upcoming season. While the Cowboys will need Zeke to accomplish their ultimate goal, which is to win a Super Bowl title, his absence in a few regular-season games to begin the season might not be all bad.

Looking at your screen in disagreeing awe yet? Here’s exactly what that means. There are two very related factors or determinations that a potential absence could go a long way in proving.

For as long as Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has been in the league and experiencing some level of success, there has always been a qualifier attached to that success. This qualifier is basically that Dak has only experienced the success that he has because Elliott is behind him at the running back position.

A potential absence for a few games would do one of two things. It would either reinforce this notion, thus proving it correct, or it would help to dispel this notion completely.

If Prescott were to come out and light the league on fire through the first couple weeks, it would not only help him to dispel the noise about him being a product of his environment, but it would solidify him being compensated like a top-end NFL starting quarterback. That is the first thing it could mean.

The second thing it could help to clarify is directly related, but more so on the organization’s behalf. While owner and general manager Jerry Jones has been a Dak Prescott guy for a while now, this potential situation could give the Cowboys clarity.

If Prescott does continue to experience success without Zeke, although only for hopefully the first few games of the season, it would not only mean that Jones was spot on in his endorsement of the quarterback but also that paying him like a top-end starter is warranted. While it could all go wrong for Prescott without Zeke, that would also give the Cowboys more information than they currently have when gauging what to pay the Cowboys’ starting signal-caller.

While you would want to have Ezekiel Elliott back into the fold as quickly as possible, this is a small crease of silver lining. The results could mean major things as well.

If Dak does have success, it would inevitably take away some of Elliott’s leverage. Not only would that give the Cowboys more ammo in the contract talks or lack thereof, but it would also probably get him to return a bit faster after seeing Prescott succeed without him.

However and obviously on the other side of the equation, if Dak Prescott doesn’t have as much success, that all but solidifies Ezekiel Elliott’s move as an appropriate one from his perspective. There are many interesting parts on the move here, as this is certainly a fluid situation. It is for these reasons or factors however, that Zeke missing a few games might not be as bad as it seems.