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Cowboys hit rookie contract snag that's quietly spreading across the NFL

For once, the Joneses aren't to blame.
ByJerry Trotta|
Aug 29, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones with his son Stephen Jones (left) prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images
Aug 29, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones with his son Stephen Jones (left) prior to the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

The Dallas Cowboys started mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and Micah Parsons was, in fact, in attendance. Parsons promised as much on social media, even though Jerry and Stephen Jones continue to drag their feet with Parsons' extension.

While the most alarming, Parsons is far from the only contract concern facing the Cowboys. They would be smart to ink Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland and Brandon Aubrey to long-term deals, but those negotiations likely won't start until next offseason.

In the meantime, Dallas quietly faces a contract snag with rookie second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku. Before you drag the Joneses, it is important to note that 30 of the league's 32 second-round picks are still waiting to sign their rookie deals, per Spotrac.

Cowboys haven't signed rookie DE Donovan Ezeiruaku but fans shouldn't panic

The Texans and Browns are to blame for this.

Houston gave wide receiver Jayden Higgins a fully guaranteed four-year, $11.7 million contract. It marked the first fully-guaranteed contract ever for a second-round pick. Cleveland followed that by giving linebacker Carson Schwesinger his own fully guaranteed deal.

It is no surprise that not a single second-round pick has signed since then. It's doubtful that other teams want to give out fully guaranteed deals to second-round choices. The issue is that agents are probably asking, 'If other round two picks got fully guaranteed deals, why should my client take anything less?'

Read more: Cowboys' Micah Parsons makes haters eat crow as elite DEs skip minicamp

Fortunately for Dallas, Ezeiruaku was a full participant at OTAs despite not having a contract. All reports from practice suggest the former Boston College star got plenty of burn with the first-team defense.

This is not a case of the Cowboys lowballing Ezeiruaku or the player's side being unreasonable in negotiations. The team clearly values the 21-year-old.

This might simply be a matter of waiting for one side to cave in the standoff for the contract to resolve itself. According to Pro Football Talk, the total value of the contracts for second-round picks cannot be disputed. Whether or not to fully guarantee those contracts is negotiable.

Rest assured, Ezeiruaku will sign his rookie contract. There is no bad blood between the player and front office. Cowboys fans just have to hope the league-wide snag doesn't bleed into training camp.

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