Ezekiel Elliott and his father have questioned his touches, but are the Dallas Cowboys really underutilizing the running back?
There was a time when Ezekiel Elliott was the most feared running back in the NFL. The fourth overall pick out of Ohio State in 2016 led the league in rushing as a rookie, going for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was again the best in the game when he had 1,434 yards in 2018 for the Dallas Cowboys.
This year, he hasn’t come close to looking like the player he once was. In six games, he has 115 yards and a single touchdown on 38 attempts.
That’s an average of 3.0 yards per touch and his longest gain on the ground this year is 9 yards.
Despite the struggles, Elliott believes he should get the ball more — especially in the red zone. His father has even taken to social media, offering $10,000 for anyone who can show film that Zeke is “washed.”
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott / Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
With that being the case, it has to be asked: Are the Cowboys underutilizing Elliott, or is he really done?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear as if the issue is the team.
Instead, this is another example of the sad truth that running backs don’t often last long in the NFL. They take a beating every weekend, leading to an unbelievable amount of wear and tear.
That was the case for Elliott, who had more than 300 rushing attempts in three of the first four seasons of his career.
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
He’s now carried the ball 2,103 times in the regular season and 103 in the postseason. Throw in 373 receptions between playoffs and the regular season, plus his fearless approach to pass blocking, and that’s a lot of contact he’s absorbed.
At 29 years of age, Elliott doesn’t look like himself and the Cowboys appear set to move on. They’re elevating Dalvin Cook for the Sunday Night Football showdown with the San Francisco 49ers and Elliott might wind up being a healthy scratch.
It’s sad to see but the Cowboys aren’t underutilizing Elliott. The only thing they’re guilty of is signing him for what he used to be able to do, rather than what he brings to the table now.