Cowboys Sign Top Draft Pick Ellis

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

July 13, 1998 / 11:53 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

The Dallas Cowboys signed their top draft pick, gave tight end Eric Bjornson a two-year contract, and cut running back Sherman Williams on Monday in transactions before the start of training camp.

Defensive end Greg Ellis of North Carolina, the No. 8 pick in the NFL draft, signed a six-year, $11.5 million contract that included a $5.4 million signing bonus.

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Ellis is already slotted as a starter after veteran Tony Tolbert was cut because of bad knees.

"It was important to get Greg into camp the very first day," said owner Jerry Jones. "He needs time to get entrenched."

Ellis ordered his agent, Butch Williams, to get the contract done by the time camp starts on Wednesday in Wichita Falls.

"Greg took away all my leverage," Williams said. "But we're happy with the contract."

Ellis said, "I'll be working with the first unit right away and I needed to be there when camp opened. I'm a rookie in a new system I know nothing about in a new league."

Bjornson signed a two-year deal for $1.2 million which included a bonus of $368,000. He will count $400,000 against the Cowboys salary cap this year.

Williams, a second-round draft pick in 1995 out of Alabama, became expendable when the Cowboys signed free agent Chris Warren, who played with Seattle. Williams rushed 121 times for 468 yards and scored two touchdowns last year.

"We are happy with where we are at running back with Emmitt (Smith) and Chris Warren," Jones said.

The Cowboys also released free agent cornerback Ron Bailey of Georgia.

Still without contracts were second-round tackle Flozell Adams and fifth-round linebacker Darren Hambrick.

Dallas failed to invite to camp return specialist Herschel Walker and special teams star Bill Bates, who has played for the Cowboys for 15 years.

Bates said Monday it was "discomforting" to not be a part of the Cowboys plans as a player bt he wouldn't mind helping out as an assistant coach.

"It looks like the decision has been made," Bates said. "It's a young man's game. It's not what did you do for me yesterday. It's what you did today. That's the nature of the game. I would love to coach."

The veteran minimum salary cap is now $375,000 and Bates said "that didn't help any. Sometimes it's a financial decision."

Jones said an announcement on Bates' status would be made on Wednesday in Wichita Falls.