By Jordan Long
The Dallas Cowboys could be without running back Ezekiel Elliott. He is in the last year of his contract which would pay him $9 million this season. He has told Dallas he won’t play for them unless he has a new deal. This may end up hurting the Cowboys in the running game this year.
Elliott has been one of the top young running backs since he entered the league in 2016. He blocks for quarterback Dak Prescott when defenses blitz. This gives Prescott time to throw the football to find his open receiver helping the Cowboys march down the field for them to have an opportunity to score points.
The best part of his game is rushing the football. When the Cowboys run the football with Elliott, this opens up the passing game for Prescott. Elliott has rushed for 4,048 yards and 28 touchdowns so far in his career. His average yards per rush is 4.7 yards.
There are times the Cowboys send him out for passes. When he catches the football, defenses have a difficult time bringing him down. Those catches are close to 1st downs. Elliot totaled 1,199 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. His average yards per catch is an impressive 8.9 yards.
The downside with him is holding the football. When he runs, he doesn’t grip the football tightly allowing defenses to knock the ball out. Elliott has 12 fumbles, far too many. He is lucky the Cowboys fall on the football and it doesn’t lead to a turnover. Elliot has lost 3 of those fumbles.
The Cowboys will miss him if he decides to hold out. He is a large part of this offense. With him out of the lineup, the Cowboys running game is weaker. The number one running back on the depth chart right now is Darius Jackson, who has played 4 games at the NFL level and rushed for 16 yards. The veteran is Alfred Morris. Morris played in the NFL for 7 years, totaling 5,931 rushing yards. He might end up being the starting running back this season.
Elliott feels like he deserves a long-term deal and his play has proven it. The problem is he could still play since Elliott is under contract for this season. It is possible an agreement could be done during the year. Sitting out is not the answer. It seems Elliott thinks he is bigger than the team. Hopefully the contract issues will be resolved soon. If not, it could be a long year for the Cowboys, especially in the run game. 1 \ls
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