FRISCO, Texas _ The Dallas Cowboys returned to practice on Monday and officially began preparations for the season opener against the New York Giants with the idea that they will be moving forward on Sunday without holdout running back Ezekiel Elliott.
The Cowboys and Elliott worked through the weekend in hopes of coming to an agreement to get him back in the fold and on the field for the Giants game.
But any momentum from the progress they made on Saturday died on Sunday as the two sides remain apart on contract language and structure.
Per source, the two sides are closer on the guarantees than how the average per year is paid out.
There is no deadline for getting a deal done this week and getting him on the field.
However, logic says that it's likely unlikely Elliott would be able to contribute much at this point, considering he missed all of camp and the preseason. And the team has no idea what kind of shape he is in.
Coach Jason Garrett said the team is focused on rookie Tony Pollard and backups Alfred Morris and Jordan Chunn at running back now.
"We're just focused on the guys who are here right now," Garrett said. {We're going to go out and practice with the guys who have been here and prepare to play with those guys. Zeke has been a big part of our team. we love him. Once he gets back here we'll try to get him as integrated as possible.
"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. 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."
The Cowboys have been without Elliott since the start of training camp and they vow to let the situation impact their preparation for Sunday's game against the Giants. They support and understand his situation but they have business to take care of.
"It's not strange, just because we understand the situation," receiver Amari Cooper said. "We're adults. We understand this business."
Said defensive end Tyrone Crawford: "Zeke has got to do what Zeke has got to do. That is our brother. We will be ready for him when he comes back."
Guard Zack Martin acknowledges the team misses Elliott in the locker room and on the field but it will be up to all of them to fill in the holes.
"He has an infectious personality in the locker room," Martin said. "He kind of brings the juice, and it's our job to pick up the slack if he's not going to be here this week."
In terms of the lineup, look for Pollard, the rookie fourth-round pick from Memphis, to get the start as he has all preseason with the veteran Morris as the primary backup.
Morris proved up the task in every way so far, despite being back up in college and never having to carry the full load.
"Tony's done everything we've asked him to do as a runner, as a protector, as a receiver, and there aren't really any issues we have with him," Garrett said. "He's a smart football player. We thought that when he was coming out of school. It's one of the reasons we liked him. He showed versatility to be able to help your team a lot of different ways and he stepped in here done a really good job. Does not seem too big for him.
"He's handled the work as we've given it to him. We've been aggressive with the instillation with him. He's been with the ones a lot and again he hasn't blinked. He's played well in the preseason games, he's played well in practice. We feel good about him."
Chunn was cut on Saturday and was scheduled to return to the practice squad. But when things didn't progress with Elliott, the Cowboys signed Chunn to the roster on Monday.
He will serve as the third running back and also help out on special teams.
"He's done a really good job for us," Garrett said of Chunn. "He's grown as a player both as a runner, receiver, a protector and as a teams guy. So he has a big body. He shows that he can have some versatility on special teams and we'll just see how that all plays out. A little banged up at linebacker right now so he can fill that role for us and he's done a good job for us."
Regarding the Elliott details, the two-time NFL rushing champion has two years remaining on his rookie deal with a $3.853 million base salary in 2019.
He has hoped to surpass Los Angeles Rams star Todd Gurley as the league's highest-paid running back. Gurley got a four-year, $57.5 million extension before last season. It included a $21 million signing bonus, $45 million guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $14.375 million.
The two sides mended some of their differences in terms of the guarantee but how the money is paid out remains an issue.
Time is of the essence for the game Sunday, but also in terms of holdout penalties.
Elliott is already facing more than $2.5 million in fines for missing 37 days of camp and the preseason. Once the season starts, he could be fined $226,000 for each missed game, in addition to daily fines for missed practices.
