With Ezekiel Elliott facing discipline, Cowboys confident in RB corps
A possible suspension continues to loom over Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.
He made more negative headlines last weekend after being involved in a bar incident, and seems to give the NFL reasons to keep an investigation into a July 2016 domestic violence accusation open for almost a year.
Owner Jerry Jones even softened his stance from no-suspension to Elliott could have to serve a short suspension to open this season.
But the silver lining for the Cowboys is that they feel confident in the running back depth should they be without Elliott.
Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris are proven veterans who have had 1,000-yard seasons in the league. McFadden ranked fourth in the NFL in rushing when he served as the primary back in 2015.
“We’re really glad we got both Alfred and Darren,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said on Tuesday. “Obviously both Darren and Alfred have carried the mail and had 1,000-plus yard seasons. We feel good about our running situation.”
McFadden, who turns 30 next month, rushed for 1,089 yards on 239 carries in 2015. But he was limited to only three games last season as he recovered from elbow surgery.
Morris, 28, topped the 1,000-yard mark in his first three professional seasons, but had a minimal role for the Cowboys last season. He carried the ball only 69 times for 243 yards and two touchdowns, and was a healthy scratch in two games.
But, as Jones stated, the Cowboys like having that kind of experience behind Elliott. Jones also feels the team filled the void left by Lance Dunbar by drafting receiver Ryan Switzer in the fourth round.
“Switzer brings a lot of things to the table that Lance did,” Jones said. “Switzer is more of a receiver than a back, but he still can bring all the versatility and the plays that Lance could bring to the table for us.”
This story was originally published July 18, 2017 at 2:18 PM with the headline "With Ezekiel Elliott facing discipline, Cowboys confident in RB corps."