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Although team owner and general manager Jerry Jones has expressed confidence in getting all his offensive players paid, he is still faced with the question of which deal takes priority over the others.
There have been plenty of speculation regarding the pecking order of how Jones values the players on offense. While questions remain about quarterback Dak Prescott's price tag, there is no debating the importance of running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receiver Amari Cooper to the Cowboys' offense.
Elliott's holdout from practice continues to dominate most of the headlines in Dallas and for good reason. He has easily established himself as one of the NFL's top running backs while serving as the team's workhorse since his arrival prior to the 2016 campaign.
The Cowboys have already gotten a taste of what life was like without Elliott in the mix back when was serving a six-game suspension in 2017. They went 3-3 in his absence en route to being eliminated from playoff contention.
Meanwhile, Dallas found themselves stagnant on offense once again and were sitting with a 3-4 record before pulling the trigger on a trade for Cooper during the 2018 NFL season. His arrival provided just the kind of spark the team needed as they finished out the year 7-1 on the back of the star wideout's 53 receptions for 725 yards and six touchdowns.
Cooper was able to elevate the level of play of the entire offense despite his late arrival. It is safe to assume expectations are even higher now that he has had the benefit of a full offseason to work with Prescott.
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In today's pass-heavy league, quarterbacks and wide receivers have seen their value sky-rocket compared to that of running backs. The resurgence that Cooper led in Dallas is further proof of why teams are now justified in giving up a first-round pick for wideouts while being criticized for rewarding running backs with a lucrative payday.
While there are a number of reasons why the Cowboys are one of the few teams where the run game takes precedent, the biggest one is the fact that Prescott is their quarterback. There is no question that he has done plenty of winning since taking over under center, however, his success seldom ever came primarily through the air.
Prescott only topped 300 yards passing twice during the 2018 campaign and they were also the only games he attempted more than 40 pass attempts. This was actually an improvement from 2017 when he only managed to accomplish this feat once all year.
Although Prescott has enjoyed tremendous success in games where he was able to pick apart the defense through the air, it is clear that he is much more comfortable managing a balanced attack. This approach not only caps the type of impact Cooper is capable of making, but it also forces the offense to be much more reliant on the run game, which is at its best when Elliott is leading the way.
Jones' recent comments downplaying the importance of having a rushing champion in the mix is undoubtedly an indicator that he would ideally like for the offense to feature more of Prescott's arm. Until he proves capable of leading an efficient passing attack on a weekly basis, Elliott will continue to remain the focal point of this offense over him and Cooper.
