Hobbled Ezekiel Elliott doesn’t want rest but would consider it if Dallas Cowboys asked
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has been hobbled by a knee injury since October.
His play and the running game have diminished as the season has continued.
Elliott has no interest in sitting out a game to rest as he wants to be on the field with his teammates but he would consider it if the team asked him to.
As of now, that has not happened.
“No one’s came to me and asked me to rest,” Elliott said.
What if they did?
“I’ve just got to go with what they believe is best for the team,” he said.
As of now, Elliott is preparing to play Thursday against the New Orleans Saints along with the rest of his teammates, who have lost three of their last four and are looking to snap a two-game losing streak.
The Cowboys have tried to manage Elliott’s workload over the past month but it has resulted in diminishing returns for his production and the running game.
Elliott has had no more than 14 carries in each of the last four games. He has had nine in each of the last two losses for just 32 and 25 yards against the Kansas Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy expressed concern for Elliott’s health after Thursday’s 36-33 overtime loss to the Raiders.
“Zeke’s running style is ferocious,” McCarthy said on Friday. ”He gives a pounding and he takes some hits. We need to evaluate that and this week we’ll see what the preparation looks like for him.”
When asked about the plan for Elliott before practice Monday, McCarthy was noncommital.
“I haven’t seen Zeke since Thursday,” he said. “We’ll go through the normal process that we go through. We’ll be in a walk-thru mode today for about an hour and 15 minutes. Obviously, coming off the overtime game, there were a lot of guys who played a lot of snaps so we have to be smart.”
Elliott, who Pro Bowl guard Zack Martin called the ultimate warrior, has missed just one game in his six-year career due to an injury.
This story was originally published November 29, 2021 at 5:30 AM.
