Finally. An offseason where all players are expected to report for training camp, right?
Well, maybe not so fast.
Even though star pass rusher Micah Parsons is expected to report to Oxnard, Calif., for the beginning of Dallas Cowboys training camp on July 21 as he awaits a new contract extension, there is a question around one of his defensive end teammates.
Donovan Ezeiruaku, a rookie from Boston College who the Cowboys drafted in the second round of April’s draft, remains unsigned with just one week to go until report day for training camp. He joins a group of 30 second-round picks league-wide who have yet to sign their rookie deals.
As agents and players seek more guaranteed money on rookie deals for second-round draft picks, a standoff has ensued with front offices across the league.
In early May, Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwessinger (pick No. 33) and Houston Texans wide receiver Jayden Higgins (pick No. 34) became the first and second, respectively, second-round picks to ever sign fully guaranteed deals. Now, the rest of the picks from 35 to 64 are asking for the same luxury, including Ezeiruaku.
The Los Angeles Chargers were the first team to begin training camp last week, allowed because of their participation in the Hall of Fame Game on July 31. They did so without their second-round pick in attendance.
Wide receiver Tre Harris, who the Chargers picked with the No. 55 overall selection, is holding out until a deal is completed. The rest of the teams in the league will report to training camp in the next week, and time will tell if Harris created the standard or became the exception in regards to holding out.
For the second-round picks who do not decide to hold out, they can still participate in training camp by signing a participation waiver, similar to how unsigned draft picks participate in minicamp and OTAs. In Ezeiruaku’s case, the expectation is that he will be in attendance, but it could quickly become a situation largely out of his control.
“I’m here doing what I have to do every single day,” Ezeiruaku said in early June. “That’s between the organization and my agent. I have full faith that they’re going to get that done. When it’s ready, it’ll be ready and I’ll sign that piece of paper. Until then, I’m doing what I have to do here.”
Ezeiruaku’s representation did not respond for comment on if he is seeking a fully guaranteed contract like the rest of his second-round pick constituents.