Contract talks between Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys are intensifying.

Jerry Jones said after his team's final preseason game on Thursday that he was "operating as though right now he's going to miss regular-season games."

Jones said he does not have a deadline for getting a deal done with Elliott.

The Cowboys have made an offer to Elliott in which he would become the NFL's second-highest paid running back.

Jerry Jones believes Ezekiel Elliott could miss more than just the Dallas Cowboys' Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the New York Giants in a contract dispute.

"I'm operating as though right now he's going to miss regular-season games," Jones said. "My entire expectation for what we're putting together as a team right now would anticipate with him holding out and not having any training camp that he's going to miss games. I just accept that."

The Cowboys and Elliott's representatives have had talks in recent days but nothing appears imminent, according to sources.

The Dallas Cowboys have offered Ezekiel Elliott a contract to make him the NFL's second highest paid running back.

The deal would pay Elliott more than Le'Veon Bell with the New York Jets, but less than Todd Gurley with the Los Angeles Rams.

Gurley's contract with the Rams is already considered a player-friendly deal considering his injuries in 2018.

Jaylon Smith has agreed to a contract extension with the Dallas Cowboys.

Smith would have been a restricted free agent this offseason.

Smith was projected as a top-five pick but suffered a major injury to his knee, tearing two ligaments and suffering nerve damage that scared away many teams from selecting him. The Cowboys took him in the second round, No. 34 overall, in part because one of their physicians, Daniel Cooper, performed the surgery on Smith.

Ezekiel Elliott and his agent didn't care for the quip made by Jerry Jones over the weekend.

Jones answered a question about Elliott after the Cowboys' preseason game Saturday in Hawaii with "Zeke who?"

"I didn't think it was funny and neither did Zeke -- we actually thought it was disrespectful," agent Rocky Arceneaux told ESPN on Monday afternoon.

Elliott is currently holding out from training camp.

Tony Pollard had 51 yards on the Cowboys' first drive on Saturday.

"He knows exactly what to do, and he knows how to do it, so it is, he goes out there and he plays to that level," Jones said. "If he continues this through the next several weeks, he's going to be right in the middle of it early, and that will really complement what we're doing with Zeke. Not replace that. And I mean that, not replace that. Nobody's getting cute here, but it'll certainly be a great complement. ... I can picture those guys same sets at the same times out there and really giving those defenses fits."

Ezekiel Elliott won't face charges from Las Vegas police for an alleged assault earlier this year.

Elliott allegedly knocked a security guard to the ground at a music festival. Elliott apologized to the guard and was released.

The NFL investigated the incident as well, and Elliott met with commissioner Roger Goodell in New York.

Elliott was suspended for six games for an alleged assault involving a former girlfriend in Columbus, Ohio, even though no charges were brought in that case by law enforcement.

The Dallas Cowboys are nearing the start of the season without long-term deals for three of their most important players.

Despite the lack of new deals for Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper, Jerry Jones continues to preach patience.

"Picture if you were the driver of a car, and you had a wreck and your hand was almost severed off, but you didn't understand your anatomy," the owner said.

"You look down, you're spurting blood, you open the door and run to the woods and either die of bleeding to death or shock. The educated man looks down, knows his anatomy, squeezes and knows his best chance is to wait for help. That's because he's been there a lot and done that. And so I'm squeezing and waiting for help. That's my lesson for today."

Dak Prescott has turned down an offer from the Dallas Cowboys worth approximately $30 million per year, according to Michael Lombardi of The Athletic and Jane Slater of NFL.com.

Prescott is seeking a deal closer to $40 million per season, which would reset the market for quarterbacks. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk, however, reports the notion that Prescott is seeking $40 million per year is categorically false.

The Cowboys are also negotiating long-term deals for Ezekiel Elliott and Amari Cooper.

Ed Werder has returned to ESPN after leaving the company in 2017.

Werder will be based in Dallas covering the Cowboys.

“I am very much looking forward to being back on the team where I feel I most belong,” said Werder, who is scheduled to report from Cowboys camp in Oxnard, Calif. throughout the week. “I’m grateful for this opportunity and thankful to all the people who have made it a reality. It will be tremendous to again be covering great stories and events with an ESPN press credential.”

Robert Quinn has received a two-game suspension for violating the NFL's performance enhancing drug policy.

Quinn was traded by the Miami Dolphins to the Dallas Cowboys in March.

Quinn suffered a fractured left hand in practice on Tuesday.