Quarterback-turned-NFL television broadcaster Tony Romo reportedly said on Tuesday that it will be a “coin flip” if Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott starts in Week 1.

https://twitter.com/MatthewMayerCBS/status/1161327220989841408

Tony Romo correctly guesses which plays will be run before the snap. Will his insight here prove to be similarly on point?

Elliott, 24, is currently holding out from the Cowboys' training camp in hopes to assert leverage in negotiating for a new deal. The two-time Pro-Bowl running back has been a dynamic playmaker and rusher in the backfield for the Texas franchise in his short, three-year tenure at the pro level.

Should the two-time rushing leader extend his absence from team activities past training camp and preseason, he would be encroaching on derailing the Cowboys' 2019 season, much like how veteran RB Le'Veon Bell missed the entire 2018 season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In that case, the Steelers attempted to franchise tag Bell; however, the two-time first-team All-Pro running back proved patient, as he waited until Week 9—after which he could not be eligible for the remainder of the season—holding out for a new contract. Bell would sign as a free agent with the New York Jets in 2019.

Elliott is not the only important Cowboys cog seeking a new contract, however. Quarterback Dak Prescott is also seeking a new deal, which could pay the fourth-year shot-caller upwards of $30 million a year. Reportedly contract talks between the 26-year-old Mississippi State product and Dallas have stalled, with rumors whipping around about a $40 million a year sum—but that has been shut down.

Prescott and Elliott make up the core of the Cowboys' otherwise impotent offense, and it appears likely the front office will do everything it can to lock down the two stars for the long term.