When the Cowboys discuss the list of players who merit new contracts Noah Fant Jersey , running back Ezekiel Elliott rarely gets mentioned. Which makes it fair to ask whether Elliott is a priority — and whether he could eventually be allowed to leave via free agency, like DeMarco Murray previously did. that the team wants to keep Elliott around.“Well, I think those are all a work in progress,” Jones said in a #PFTPM interview, via NFL.com. “Certainly we’ve got a couple years there with Zeke to get that done. We certainly want to get him done. He’s the straw, if you will http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/dalton-risner-jersey , that stirs our drink. He’s a key part of what we’re about. Those things take time to get done. They don’t happen overnight. Certainly he’s a priority in terms of ultimately getting him signed. There hasn’t really been a timetable put on this.”The fact that the Cowboys have the fifth-year option as their disposal makes it easier for the team to wait to sign Elliott. But the longer he waits, the more he carries the risk of the kind of injury that will keep him from ever getting paid what he deserves.The fifth-year option, added to the labor deal in 2011, gives teams the right to squat on a first-round pick for another year, in lieu of signing him to a long-term deal, applying the franchise tag Drew Lock Jersey , or watching him walk away in free agency. It’s bad for the player, and it actually makes it better for a player to be taken high in round two instead of being taken low in round one.For Elliott, the contractual status necessarily makes him less of a priority than he otherwise would be. And it puts the onus on Elliott to make himself more of a priority, perhaps by uttering one of the most memorable (and most NSFW) lines from . When the Cowboys called a press conference earlier today to announce the signing of a player, speculation immediately centered on whether it was for Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott or Amari Cooper. It was none of those.No one had money on Jaylon Smith to become the first to sign a long-term deal during training camp.“This is a contract story. This is a contract story http://www.denverbroncosteamonline.com/dre_mont-jones-jersey ,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “Y’all have been riding me about getting a contract done the last three weeks. This is a contract story.”Prescott, Elliott and Cooper, though, remain unsigned.The Cowboys held up Smith as an example of how to get a deal done quickly if players are willing to take team-friendly deals. The Cowboys have preached team-friendly deals to Prescott, Elliott and Cooper T.J. Hockenson Jersey , which is a sticking point. The players’ agents have made it clear it’s not their job to manage the team’s salary cap.“I wouldn’t speculate on what’s in somebody’s mind about that,” Jones said of Prescott, Elliott and Cooper. “But the way to get this done is people to have a little more thought about team, and that’s certainly in Jaylon’s mind.“. . .The team takes precedent at a point over the opinion or the demand of the individual. The team takes precedent [sic]. This was a team move we are talking about today. The team takes precedent, and I’ve got the backbone to keep it that way.”And now that Jones signed a five-year extension worth $64 million, “There’s less pie left [for others]; make no bones about it.”The Cowboys don’t sound any closer to getting deals done for Prescott Justice Hill Jersey , Elliott or Cooper. Elliott flew back to Cabo after a weekend visit to DFW, continuing his training there. His teammates continue training camp back in Texas, having returned to the team facility this week.The Cowboys have expressed frustration at the pace of negotiations with Prescott, Elliott and Cooper and noted Tuesday how quickly Smith’s deal happened with both sides wanting to get a deal done.“Our door is always open for business,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said.