The Dallas Cowboys need to get their act together fast if they intend to prepare properly for the coming NFL season. For the past months, questions have cropped up on how the team intends to deal with three key players, namely Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper.

The Cowboys are negotiating contract extensions with the three players but it appears nothing much has progressed. And the latest on Dallas is that one of the three may be holding out until he gets a new pact. According to ESPN, representatives of running back Ezekiel Elliott have informed the Cowboys that the 24-year-old will not play for the 2019 NFL season without a new lease.

Right now, it could all be a matter of miscommunication. The Cowboys claim that they have reached out and made solid offers to the three players. The deals are reportedly in line with the top-five contracts of their respective positions but the team has grown frustrated with the lack of engagement in negotiations, according to ESPN in another report.

Despite the latest development, there is a growing belief that the contract issues between the Cowboys and the three players will be settled at some point before the regular NFL season opens. But the thing here is that Elliott is needed at training camp. Since NFL training camp opened, Zeke has been in Cabo, San Lucas, Mexico working out.

Should he continue his holdout, Elliott faces a fine of $40,000 per day. Aside from that, the Cowboys could also penalize him and take out a prorated sum of his signing bonus. He is also facing a possible fine of $226,000 if he ends up failing to report before the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers. As one can see, the fourth pick of the 2016 NFL Draft stands to lose a lot if this issue is not settled soon.

The Cowboys are expected to be busy moving forward as it tries to resolve contract issues with the three players. Prescott and Cooper are entering the final year of their respective rookie deals and team owner Jerry Jones said he has no concerns on getting deals done for each star, NFL.com reported. Hence, it all now boils down to how well negotiations pull through with both sides hopefully keeping lines open.

Dak prescott Ezekiel Elliott
Dak Prescott #4 and Ezekiel Elliott #21 of the Dallas Cowboys react after a Prescott touchdown late in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 12, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Harry How/Getty Images
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