Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott says his knee felt like ... Could he miss more games?
When the Dallas Cowboys elevated running back Qadree Ollison from the practice squad to the active roster on Saturday, it was a clue that Ezekiel Elliott wasn’t guaranteed to play Sunday against the Green Bay Packers.
The team made it official on Sunday, less than 90 minutes before kickoff when Elliott was listed among the inactives for the game. He did not dress for the Cowboys’ 31-28 overtime loss to the Packers.
But Elliott said the decision was made after practice Saturday.
“I felt like [expletive],” Elliott said. “I didn’t feel great.”
Elliott suffered a sprained knee Oct. 23 against the Detroit Lions and sat out the Oct. 30 game against the Chicago Bears.
Given the extra rest for last week’s bye, Elliott had hoped to return against the Packers. He was limited in practice all week but ran and cut full speed while wearing a knee brace.
He said he felt good enough to go and owner Jerry Jones said that he expected Elliott to play.
Ultimately, Elliott said he didn’t feel fully recovered and didn’t want to risk aggravating the injury.
“I had already sat some time,” he said. “There is no point in wasting it if I got back out there and aggravated it. It was tough getting it warm in the cold. Just not all the way confident in it yet.”
What’s also true is that the Cowboys believed Tony Pollard could handle the load at running back. He rushed 14 times for 131 yards against the Bears, then rushed for 115 yards on a career-high 22 carries on Sunday against the Packers.
In addition to Pollard, rookie Malik Davis rushed five times for 38 yards.
And the Cowboys want to be cautious with Elliott with the long game in mind.
They are now admitting it was a mistake to allow Elliott to play the bulk of the 2021 season with a torn tendon in his knee. He played in every game but his effectiveness was compromised.
Elliott and the Cowboys talked this week about the importance of being healthy and strong in December and January.
And that was at the crux of Sunday’s decision to sit him against the Packers.
He hopes to play against the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday.
The Cowboys are also playing three games in 12 days, which factors into the decision on Elliott’s return.
The Cowboys play the Vikings on Nov. 20 and then host the New York Giants on Thanksgiving Day before a getting a 10-day layoff until a Dec. 1 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
The other inactives were linebacker Anthony Barr, linebacker Jabril Cox, quarterback Will Grier, safety Nahshon Wright, safety Markquese Bell and defensive tackle Chauncey Golston.
This story was originally published November 13, 2022 at 2:07 PM.
