round pick for another year, in lieu of signing him to a long-term dea

When the Cowboys discuss the list of players who merit new contracts http://www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com/kaleb-mcgary-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.Cowboys COO Stephen Jones recently made it clear 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 Kendall Sheffield 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 http://www.atlantafalconsteamonline.com/john-cominsky-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 . The Buccaneers have parted ways with wide receivers Adam Humphries and DeSean Jackson this offseason in a pair of moves that open the door for Chris Godwin to take on a bigger role in the offense.During this week’s league meetings, head coach Bruce Arians shared his thoughts on the role Godwin will be playing in the offense. According to Arians, it’s going to be a very big one.“I think Chris Godwin is going to be close to a 100-catch guy Qadree Ollison Jersey , especially because I think he can play in the slot,” Arians said, via the team’s website. “He’s never coming off the field.”Arians has never been afraid of a little hyperbole and seeing Godwin jump from 93 catches over two seasons to the century mark might qualify for an entry in that category. That said, there’s no one in front of him on the depth chart than Mike Evans and that should give Godwin every opportunity to take a big step forward in his third NFL season.