Things are heating up between Ezekiel Elliott and the Dallas Cowboys, and this time in a good way.

The longstanding holdout is nearing its end, as the two-time NFL rushing champ is seeing a rush of momentum in his contract talks with the Cowboys. Negotiations have been progressive the entire time since Elliott opted to forego reporting to training camp in Oxnard, CA to nudge the team forward in granting him an extension, but paced slowly when considering the amount of money that was being discussed. Elliott is looking to surpass the earnings of Todd Gurley, but the Cowboys hit a U-turn and opted to start their marker at Le'Veon Bell's figures -- leaving much to be ironed out in order to get their two-time All-Pro on the field for Week 1.

With the preseason now wrapped, both sides are zeroing in on the final terms that could result in a deal being done Labor Day weekend, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Sources with knowledge of the situation confirm Schefter's report, and have affirmed to me for weeks that a deal would likely be done that ends the holdout prior to the regular-season opener against the New York Giants. Furthermore, I've been told the goal is for Elliott to return to the facility on Monday or Tuesday, giving him ample time to participate practices before the Sept. 8 battle.

At the time of this article going to file -- despite reports to the contrary -- both sides are barreling full speed toward a final agreement. My understanding is on language and structure of the deal are left to be ironed out, with both sides seeing eye-to-eye on the money portion(s). Barring a setback in the midnight hour, the Cowboys and Elliott are on pace for an announcement to be made soon, now that the more complex part of negotiations is seemingly behind them.

Should things draw out one or two days longer, the team wouldn't be concerned, with owner Jerry Jones making it clear there is "no deadline" for Elliott to report next week and be allowed to play against Big Blue, while framing that with the expectation that there might be some missed games. It appears the rather obvious posturing by Jones in the media was just that because, in reality, all signs pointed to this being the outcome.

Soon enough, the Cowboys will have yet another superstar player on the books for a long time to come.