Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott returns to practice, plans to play vs. Packers
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott said his sprained knee has improved and he plans to return to action in Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers.
Owner Jerry Jones confirmed as much on his radio show on 105.3 The Fan.
“We’ll see a lot as we go through the week’s practice,” Jones said. “It’s anticipated he’ll be ready to go.”
Elliott participated in practice Wednesday, albeit on a limited basis, for the first time since suffering the injury in a 24-6 victory against the Detroit Lions on Oct. 23.
He sat out the Chicago Bears game, a 49-29 victory on Oct. 30, giving him two weeks to rest the knee with the last week’s bye coming up next.
He said the swelling has gone down and the knee feels much better after spending time during the bye week icing it and doing the underwater treadmill among other things.
Elliott said the plan is for him to play against the Packers but a final decision won’t be made until the end of the week when gets more reps and practice and sees how it feels.
“I say I will say there is urgency to play,” Elliott said. “But I think you know, what’s important is making sure my knee is good and ready to go. That’s the priority. The priority is the long run. I plan to play deep in the playoffs. The long game is definitely the priority.
“There’s no point of going out there and making that worse for Week 8, 9, 10, you know what I mean? We’re worried about that second half of the season and playoffs.”
If Elliott does play, he will wear a brace on his right knee, which he sported in practice on Wednesday.
The key now is him showing enough progress in practice that he can be a full go Sunday against the Packers.
The Cowboys don’t want to make him active for the game if he’s going to be on a pitch count, per coach Mike McCarthy.
“Going in with three running backs and having one that’s on a pitch count, you’ve got to be careful there,” McCarthy said. “I’m very conscientious of that. So we’ll watch Zeke work throughout the week and have a good idea where he is.”
Tony Pollard started in Elliott’s place against the Bears, rushing 14 times for a career high-tying 131 yards before admittedly running out of gas in the fourth quarter. Malik Davis served as the second round back against the Bears with Qadree Ollison elevated from the practice squad to handle special teams.
The Cowboys hope to continue to use Elliott and Pollard in a tandem as they have all season.
Pollard leads the team with 506 yards on 81 carries and 5 touchdowns. Elliott has 109 carries for 443 yards and 4 touchdowns in seven games this season.
This story was originally published November 9, 2022 at 6:55 AM.
