Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott is on track to return, and is ignoring critics
Ezekiel Elliott may be having a tough year on the field.
The Dallas Cowboys running back is averaging career lows in yards per game (64) and yards per attempt (3.9).
And he knows what’s being said about him.
He also knows what’s been said about the diminishing value of running backs ever since he signed that six-year, $90 million contract extension following a lengthy holdout last season, as well as the rising noise about his play in 2020 that reached a crescendo last Sunday.
He missed the first game of his career due to a painful calf strain, and watched as backup Tony Pollard tallied 132 yards on 18 touches and two touchdowns to help spark the Cowboys to a 41-33 victory against the San Francisco 49ers.
Elliott, who says he is feeling much better and plans to return to action against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, said he doesn’t pay attention to critics who believe that he should be replaced by Pollard in the starting lineup.
“At the end of the day, [the critics] aren’t the people signing my checks,” Elliott said. “Those aren’t the cats that are making the final decisions. I don’t think it really matters. It doesn’t really hold much with me what people outside of this building are saying. All that matters to us is the people in this building.”
The people in the building remain firmly behind Elliott as the team’s starting running back. And despite his declining numbers, team owner Jerry Jones said the two-time NFL rushing champ was the team’s best player because of the tone he sets with his bruising style.
Most importantly, the Cowboys like the tandem of having both backs in action, with Pollard’s lightning complementing Elliott’s thunder.
“Zeke is a tremendous weapon for football because physicalness does have an impact and does wear down and does win,” Jones said. “And we’ve always, frankly, known that with Pollard that we had alternative there that was another way to do it, but a good way to do it. They make quite the tandem.”
Never mind that Pollard has four 20-yard runs on 87 carries compared to just two such gains on Elliott’s 211 carries. And never mind that Pollard is averaging 4.7 yards per carry.
The Cowboys like how they complement each other with Elliott doing the dirty work between the tackles.
Pollard was taken in the fourth round in 2019 to serve as a change-of-pace back, and that’s what’s he has provided.
“It also makes the defense play more at the line of scrimmage with who is in the game, where they’re lined up,” coach Mike McCarthy said. “The ability to have both guys in the game, their styles complement each other. You always want to have the versatility to be utilized so we can challenge our opponent as many different ways as possible.”
To Elliott’s credit, he has continued to be one Pollard’s biggest no matter how loud the noise is getting on the outside.
Elliott served as a coach on the field during the 49ers game, giving Pollard tips from the sideline and was his biggest cheerleader following his 40-yard touchdown run on the fourth quarter.
”Zeke’s like my No. 1 fan,” Pollard said after the game. “Any situation where he can’t go and the team has to run through me or any one of the other guys, he’s like the No. 1 fan on the side. He’s definitely a good guy to have on your side.”
Look for the two to be back on the field together on Sunday if Elliott’s injury continues to trend in the right direction.
Elliott said that what was hard was not being on the field with his teammates against the 49ers, but said the injury feels better than it has in last three weeks.
He initially hurt in his calf in the 34-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 8. He played through it in the 30-7 victory against Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 13 before sitting out last weekend.
“It definitely feels better with the rest and looking good for this weekend,” Elliott said.
Elliott needs just 168 yards in the final two games against the Eagles and New York Giants to reach 1,000 yards rushing for the third consecutive season and fourth time in five years in the league.
No Cowboys runner has achieved those mark since Hall of Famer and NFL All-Time leading rusher Emmitt Smith was in his prime.
And if he can’t go Sunday, Elliott says the team is in good hands with Pollard.
“Tony is a great back,” he said. “Tony, as you saw this weekend, he’s special.”
