Marshall Faulk to help train Ezekiel Elliott in Mexico during holdout

Ezekiel Elliott has been away from the Dallas Cowboys for several weeks as he prepares for the upcoming season, but he is going to get some help from a more experienced personal trainer than most running backs around the NFL have the pleasure of working with.

Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk revealed on “The Rich Eisen Show” this week that he is planning to travel to Cabo to train with Elliott.

“I’ve got some drills and some stuff that I used to do. I’ve challenged him with his conditioning, and trying to get him closer to football ready, not just being in good shape,” Faulk said, as transcribed by Joey Hayden of the Dallas Morning News. “So, I’m going down to try and make him throw up. That’s my job.”

Faulk met Elliott when Zeke was 16, and he has been mentoring the former Ohio State star ever since. They also share the same agent, Rocky Arceneaux, and Faulk said Elliott has a right to be angry about the way the Cowboys have handled his contract negotiations.

“These holdouts, they affect teams,” Faulk said. “They actually affect the nucleus of your team. And I’ll be honest with you, if I’m Zeke and I sit down and I saw that they signed Jaylon Smith – I’m pissed.”

Faulk also criticized the system that is in place with NFL contracts, which allows teams to have a fifth-year option on a first-round draft pick. He would not say either way whether he believes Elliott will return to the Cowboys before Week 1, but he admitted there’s “a lot of risk on both sides.”

There’s no reason to think Elliott will be at anything less than full speed when he eventually returns, as he took the same training approach when he was suspended in 2017. For what it’s worth, there has been talk that Elliott and the Cowboys are closer to an agreement than people think. If one comes together quickly, Faulk may have to cancel his flight to Mexico.