Are the Ezekiel Elliott negotiations getting a little too personal?

The Dallas Cowboys negotiations with Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott are starting to get personal now. So where do the two sides go from here?

It appears the Dallas Cowboys have changed their public strategy in their negotiations with Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott. The NFL’s two-time leading rusher is currently holding out of training camp in an effort to restructure his current contract in Dallas, of which he still has two-years left.

Early in the negotiation process, the Cowboys seemed to be giving more praise and downplaying Elliott not showing up for camp. Now Dallas owner and general manager Jerry Jones seems ready to turn up the heat to get Zeke’s attention.

Following the Cowboys’ preseason victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Honolulu, Hawaii last Saturday, Jones was asked if the play of rookie running back Tony Pollard was the best negotiation for Elliott’s contract situation. He responded with the now infamous words: “Zeke who?”

Now that Jones has started to speak out more, it has gotten the attention on Elliott and his camp. Whether you believe that Jones was joking when he made the comment or not, it has certainly garnered a response. A negative one, in fact. But if that’s what it takes to spark negotiations, so be it.

Now don’t get me wrong. Elliott does have the right to be mad about the comment. But in the end, it was a joke. And Jones even said so immediately afterward. But, if Jones wants to make sure he can get Elliott to sign shouldn’t have said he’s earned the right to joke about Elliott. I believe it’s only going to make things harder in the long run. Maybe the next move for Jerry is to reel it back and start giving compliments again to get back in Elliott’s good graces.

Sometimes you need to ruffle a few feathers to get a conversation started. And this new tactic by the Dallas Cowboys looks to have done the trick. Now the Cowboys brass needs to figure out a way to get Ezekiel Elliott back to Frisco so Jerry and Zeke can meet face to face and hash out their differences. Once that’s done, perhaps a deal can finally get done just like the team did with defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence earlier this offseason.