Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott & Jaylon Smith Salaries Guaranteed For 2021

In First and 10, it's Cowboys Cap Deadline Day For Ezekiel Elliott & Jaylon Smith

FRISCO - Inarguably, the Dallas Cowboys have - theoretically - financial decisions to make ... today. Is there another shoe or two to drop involving two well-known starters? First and 10 examines ...

1. Status of Zeke and Jaylon

Two large Cowboy salaries were scheduled to be locked in Sunday at 3 p.m. ... and amid much public hand-wringing, Dallas has done the expected.

Running back Ezekiel Elliott's salary for 2021 - $12.4 million - has become fully guaranteed today as he's on the roster after the deadline..

Linebacker Jaylon Smith's salary for 2011 - $7.2 million salary - is set up the same way, So he is locked in as well.

Simply put, there was never a great enough cap advantage to say goodbye to a pair of players who at this time, in the opinion of Cowboys management,  offer upside for 2021.

READ MORE: Jaylon Smith EXCLUSIVE: Cowboys Contract & Cap Move

The Cowboys have openly told us they had no plans to do with with Zeke. And Jaylon told CowboysSI.com that he's been informed of no such move.

Nevertheless, speculation was everywhere.

The problems with such moves? Yes, they save some money. But they also cost money - dead money that sticks to the cap. Additionally, Dallas would have to find replacements for both players. So the Cowboys plow forward with high hopes for Smith and Elliott.

2. The Free Agency Tick-Tock

So, last week, we were ALL OVER the Dak Prescott contract from every angle. This week, it’s all about free agency. So let’s get into some links you need to read. Plus, we have our own free agency tracker. If a blade of grass moves, as Mike Fisher likes to say, we’re going to write about it (if it has a Cowboys angle, of course).

'Starting Safety' To Visit Cowboys In NFL Free Agency: The Cowboys were set to meet with at least one player they see as a starting safety in 2021. It’s a former Falcon, coming off a major injury in 2020, but that also means that new Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn knows him well.

And then, on Saturday - with the visits still coming from Kazee and Hooker - Dallas nailed down a defensive starter in Keanu Neal.

Cowboys Sign EDGE Tarell Basham: The Cowboys need some edge rushing help, and I think there’s some help available in the draft, too. But earlier this week, by signing Basham, they bring in a player that I was play in college when he was at Ohio University. He may not set the world on fire, but he’s been with the Jets, so you know he’s hungry for something more.

'Urban Cowboy': Dallas Signs 6-7 Run-Stopping DT From Bears: Yep, we’re running with that headline, as Bears defensive lineman Brent Urban signed with the Cowboys. He’s a quality run stopper ... and he's tall.

Cowboys Sign Texans D-Line Starter, Lose Tight End: Sometimes it’s good to steal from the south. In this case, the Cowboys snapped up defensive tackle Carlos Watkins. He was looking for opportunity in Houston, in my opinion. Maybe he’ll get it in Dallas.

CB Chidobe Awuzie Leaves Cowboys, Signs With Bengals: I had a hunch he wasn’t coming back. I felt the market was going to benefit him, financially speaking.

We’re CowboysSI.com. We’re not going to miss a single story or angle. There’s just some of the proof.

3. Cowboys Draft Tracker

It’s 2021 NFL Draft season. And CowboysSI.com has its Cowboys Draft Tracker up and running. Throughout the ramp-up to the 2021 NFL Draft, we’ll be updating the tracker with mock drafts from around the Internet — ESPN, CBS, NFL.com, Fox Sports and all the others. You can find it all in one convenient place right here.

So click it, bookmark it and keep our Cowboys Draft Tracker with you wherever you go.

Meanwhile, check out this draft coverage from CowboysSI.com and other partner sites.

We’ve now reached the points where, as Fish put it, ‘Nobody Knows Nothin’’ about what the Cowboys are going to do at No. 10, from a mock draft perspective. It’s not confusion so much as, well, a difference of opinion. Of course, none of those opinions will matter in the Cowboys Draft Room in late April.

NFL Pro Day Tracker: The staff at NFL Draft Bible is tracking every Pro Day and you can follow along.

Lorenz Leinweber ranks the Top 7 tight ends in this draft (guess who’s No. 1?).

Hot Take Tuesday debated the merits of Northern Iowa offensive lineman Spencer Brown as a first-round pick.

Remember: the Cowboys found out they would have four compensatory picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

4. A ‘Clean Slate’ for Jourdan Lewis?

How many ‘clean slates’ will Jourdan Lewis get with the Cowboys? It appears if he will get at least one more, as the Cowboys chose to secure his services for three more years earlier this week. Mike Fisher caught up with him last year (which is where the ‘clean slate’ comes from), but with a new defensive coordinator and a new position coach, the ‘clean slate’ appears to apply again in 2021.

But is this the LAST one? Read more.

5. Never Stop Working (the waiver wire)

The Cowboys spent Friday shaking out their roster to make room for all of the special teams players they signed during the week. Read more here.

6. Planning visits

The Cowboys have a shopping list. And one of their ‘groceries,’ Keanu Neal, had a decision to make. Our Mike Fisher had more in the moment ... and now, Neal is locked in.

7. How Staubach Helped Jerry’s Cowboys Sign Dak

An ‘In Case You Missed It’ from last week. Amid all of the work to try and get Dak Prescott into a long term deal, here’s how Cowboys legend Roger Staubach played a role.

8. Hayward an Option?

Casey Hayward Jr. - labeled “the ultimate professional” by the Chargers team that just released him - can now be added to the Dallas Cowboys Connections free agency wish list.

The cornerback spent five seasons with the Chargers after signing as a free agent in 2016, but before that, he was a 2012 second-round pick in Green Bay, where he was coached by ...

Mike McCarthy and Joe Whitt.

9. Cowboys To Sign 2 Starting DBs? Let's Wait To Grade Free Agency - Whitt's End

From our Richie Whitt:

Dallas Cowboys’ free agency scoreboard: Coming = Swing tackle Ty Nekhe and defensive linemen Carlos Watkins, Tarell Basham and Brent Urban. Staying = Dak Prescott, special-teams ace C.J. Goodwin, receiver Cedric Wilson and slot corner Jourdan Lewis. Going = L.P. Ladouceur, Andy Dalton, Chidobe Awuzie and Blake Bell.

I know it's not all “tier-one” ... but the word is two more impactful guys may be on the way.

I bet in free agency in the coming day they sign a starting safety and I bet they sign a maybe-starting corner ... and shouldn't we want to hand out free agency grades until after at least we get through the first week?

One down. One to go?

Click here for more.

10. Tweet Of The Week

A #MarchMadness bracket like no other.

Sport against Sport
School against School
Era against Era

I'm sure NO ONE is going to be upset about this.

It's the ultimate #Big12 Sports Bracket challenge. And @Heartland_CS wants you to vote NOW!https://t.co/NPHHF6G1jh

— Matthew Postins (@PostinsPostcard) March 20, 2021

Have fun!