COWBOYS
Zeke gives CeeDee advice amidst training camp holdout
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has gone through the same thing receiver CeeDee Lamb is right now, and had some advice for him.
As we enter week two of the Dallas Cowboys training camp, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is still going strong in his holdout. The All-Pro is looking to be one of the highest paid non-quarterbacks in the league, but the Cowboys are dragging their feet for some reason unbeknownst to anyone but the Jones family it seems.
There are two other Cowboys players who have done exactly what CeeDee is doing now - holding out from training camp until they get the salary and contract they believe they deserve. Those two are guard Zack Martin and running back Ezekiel Elliott, both of whom got what they wanted in the end and both of whom currently play for the Cowboys.
What advice did Ezekiel Elliott give to CeeDee Lamb?
In 2019, Elliott held out of the entire Cowboys training camp and the entire preseason. In the end, they signed him to a six-year, $90 million contract extension before the season began (a decision they would come to regret not long after, but I digress). CeeDee so far has missed all of the offseason workouts, including OTAs and minicamp and now one week of training camp.
Elliott spoke about the criticism that comes with staging a holdout, mentioning that it feels strange to be at odds with your own team who’s been “on the same side” with you for several years beforehand. He also said the hardest part of the holdout for him was not being around his teammates.
“You definitely feel an obligation, but that’s just being a great teammate and putting your best foot forward,’’ Elliott said. “It sucks when the business part of the game comes up because, I don’t want to say it takes away, but you spend your whole career, your whole life, playing this game and you’ve never been through anything like this where you had to be away from the team to handle the business part.”
With CeeDee going through the same thing now, here was Zeke’s advice to him:
“CeeDee knows he’s put in the work. He had a great first four years. Every year he’s gotten better and better, so I mean right now the most important things is just stay in shape and make sure you’re ready. The deal is going to get done. When that deal gets done, just be ready to hit the ground running.’’
“All you can do is put in your work and make sure you’re in shape when you get back.’’