OXNARD, Calif. _ With Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott still on the lamb, it was Darius Jackson who took the majority of reps with the first team during the first official practice of training camp.
And it could be that way for the foreseeable future with Elliott seemingly dug in a contract holdout.
Jackson, who was picked in the sixth round out of Eastern Michigan the same year the Cowboys took Elliott fourth overall in 2016, supports the two-time rushing champ in his quest for more money.
But he plans to make the most of his opportunity to finally show what he can do.
"One hundred percent (behind Elliott)," Jackson said. "Everyone knows the business side of things are a little messy and you never know how it might turn out. We just focused on what we got to do out here and that's his business."
"I had no idea, you could never guess something like that," Jackson added. "Coming into this camp, no matter what, I was ready to continue to prove myself as you got to do in this league day in and day out. And I'm ready for anything. This league is about opportunity. I am ready to go.
Jackson made the Cowboys out of camp in 2016 but was inactive for the first 13 games before being cut Dec. 13. He was claimed by the Cleveland Browns but was inactive for the final three games.
He missed all of 2017 with a knee injury and then was cut in the offseason. The Cowboys re-signed him before last season but he was released on final cuts. The Packers picked him up before releasing him a month later precipitating a return to the Cowboys, first to the practice squad and then to the active roster for the final two games.
The only six carries of his career came in the season finale at the New York Giants.
"My journey has been a little different," Jackson said. "You guys don't know all the details. It was big for me just coming back to this system. I felt like I had unfinished business and I still do. So that's what I'm after, just chasing, after accomplishing my personal goals."
Running back coach Gary Brown is looking forward to seeing Jackson in action.
"I think he's paid his dues he's been to a few different spots," Brown said. "He's had some injuries and fought through those. I feel really good where he's at and feel really good about what he's doing."
But Brown said it's about getting all the guys in the running back room ready and focused on coming to practice every day, similar to what it would be if Elliott was injured.
Jackson is getting reps with the first team initially because he is the most experienced player in the group. But the Cowboys have a plan for fourth-round pick Tony Pollard, who was slated to a change-of-pace back behind Elliott. Mike Weber, picked in the seventh round from Ohio State, is considered Jackson's biggest competition to be Elliott's primary backup.
"I like what they're doing," Brown said. "I think they're going to be really good for us. I think they're getting an opportunity to go out and get more reps and it's going to be good for them. I think Tony's going to be an explosive payer for us, DJ as well and Mike as well. I think they all have a chance."
"It's exciting because you've got guys that you can mold like clay, that you can mold them and get them the way you want them. These two young guys are really hungry. They're really starving for knowledge and it's going to be a good situation for them."
