The Cowboys are in last place in rushing yards per game (77.0), and we have heard a lot about what exactly is wrong with the running game. Apparently, the team’s “committee” of running backs can not agree on who should play and when.Ultimately, the Cowboys’ current situation is not entirely Ezekiel Elliott’s responsibility. The team missed out on the opportunity to select a running back in the April NFL Draft and did not sign a worthy successor to Tony Pollard when they had a strong chance to add Derrick Henry.
or Saul Barkley.
or Josh Jacobs.
All three of them rank among the top five rushers in this class in 2024, and Dallas could have signed them if the team had been more innovative in their cap space creation and more aggressive in free agency. Rather, the Cowboys decided it would be wise to bring back Elliott, a guy they released a year prior after concluding he had reached the end of his NFL usefulness.Elliott is currently splitting carries with Rico Dowdle and is averaging 3.0 yards per attempt, which is a career low. While it would be great if Elliott could produce more, the Cowboys were mistaken to believe he could still be the league’s top back. It is not Elliott’s fault; it is theirs.
Cowboys Must Make a Hard Decision
However, the Cowboys still have 11 games left, and they need to figure out a way to make improvements to their rushing game in order to win them all. In an article headlined “Five areas the Cowboys could realistically improve to make a run at NFC East title,” Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News suggested that one potential answer would be to minimize Elliott, possibly by bringing up Dalvin Cook from the practice squad.Elliott basically has no place on the roster when Cook is brought up. Elliott would probably be cut, which could be unfair given his reputation as a well-liked teammate and how talented he was in Dallas early in his career.
Watkins stated: “The Cowboys’ offseason decisions, including starting two rookies on the offensive line, signing Ezekiel Elliott in free agency, and not drafting a running back, have hampered the running game.” Rico Dowdle will start for the Cowboys, with Elliott filling in as backup.
The Cowboys could promote Dalvin Cook from the practice squad and either bench Elliott on game days or cut him go. Because of his capacity to return kicks when needed, Dowdle is able to play on gamedays.
Ezekiel Elliott’s Four-Year Drop
Although it would be unwise to cut Elliott, the Cowboys have few options when it comes to running the ball, and Elliott is obviously no longer useful. Although Dowdle is averaging 4.2 yards per carry while running behind the same offensive line, Watkins notes that the offensive line should share some of the blame.
That suggests that Elliott is simply no longer very popular in the league. Although his yards per attempt have been declining for years—from 4.2 in 2021 to 3.8 in 2022 to 3.5 in New England in 2023 and now to 3.0—this is not really a significant decline in his performance.
Pro Football Focus’s grades pretty much say it all.The best way to put it is probably to look at the grades at Pro Football Focus. Elliott, who finished first in the league in his first two seasons as a rusher, is 53rd out of 67 running backs in the NFL and has earned a grade of 51.1.
