After one year away from the team, the Dallas Cowboys brought back longtime RB Ezekiel Elliott this offseason. Despite not dealing with an injury, Elliott won’t be active for the team’s Week 9 game against the Atlanta Falcons. What do we know about whatever happened to Elliott?
What Happened to Ezekiel Elliott?
When the Cowboys activated Dalvin Cook from the practice squad ahead of Week 8, many people theorized it would lead to Elliott being a healthy inactive. After all, the Cowboys were not going to carry more than four running backs, and Elliott does not contribute on special teams.
A few hours before game time, starting RB Rico Dowdle came down with an illness that wound up preventing him from playing. Naturally, Elliott had to be active.
Elliott got the start and ran the ball 10 times for 34 yards. In what may have been his last chance to prove he’s still an NFL-caliber running back, Elliott proved the opposite.
A couple of weeks ago, Elliott had a conversation with coaches regarding his lack of playing time. In his prime, he was one of the best running backs in football — a guy who touched the ball 20+ times a game. This year, Elliott is averaging just 7.14 opportunities per game.
With Dowdle over his illness and the team wanting to see a little more from Cook, the report that Elliott would be inactive this week was not surprising … at first. It was later revealed that Elliott’s deactivation was due to disciplinary reasons. He won’t even be in Atlanta.
Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott did not travel to Atlanta because of disciplinary reasons and will be inactive Sunday, per ESPN’s @toddarcher. pic.twitter.com/MrlLylKjuY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 2, 2024
There’s a very good chance Elliott was going to be inactive regardless. However, even inactive players travel with the team — they just get ruled out 90 minutes before kickoff.
Is Elliott Playing in Week 9?
Elliott is out this week. When the news first dropped, we didn’t know the specifics of what Elliott did to earn what is tantamount to at least a one-game suspension. On Sunday morning, NFL Network’s Jane Slater was able to provide us with some details.
Ezekiel Elliott is a healthy scratch today. The first of his career. According to a number of sources, Elliott has been distracted this season. Aside from habitual tardiness, he’s missed three team meetings with Friday’s meeting the final straw. Both parties decided it was best…
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) November 3, 2024
There have been signs for multiple years now that Elliott is one of the players like Adrian Peterson or Melvin Gordon who did not appear to notice their decline in skills as they aged. Elliott never thought he should’ve lost touches to Tony Pollard. He thought he should’ve been the guy in New England. And in his return to Dallas, he’s been frustrated all season about playing behind Rico Dowdle.
At this point, it is too soon to speculate as to whether this is a one-game thing or if Elliott will be out for an extended period. However, given this report, it’s clear the Cowboys were extending significant latitude to Elliott in putting up with lateness, missed meetings, and a general lack of focus.
There’s a very real chance Elliott has played his last down for the Cowboys. If that is the case, he will turn 30 before training camp begins next year. There’s also a very real chance Elliott has played his last down of professional football.
How Will Elliott’s Absence Impact the Cowboys?
Dowdle is entrenched as the lead back. After a one-game absence, he will return to the lead back and role and undoubtedly lead this backfield in touches.
Elliott’s absence should benefit the Cowboys offensively. At worst, it will be a lateral move from Elliott to Cook. It is simply not possible for whatever number of touches Cook gets to be less effective than Elliott, who is dead last in the NFL at 3.1 yards per carry among RBs with at least 40 attempts.
His YPC is the worst among all RBs with 40+ carries. That isn’t helping him either. https://t.co/SBlYRSSVEX
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) November 2, 2024
Elliott is averaging 3.4 yards per touch. By comparison, his career average is 4.7.
Cook did his best Elliott impression last week, running the ball six times for 12 yards. Given that Elliott has been seeing 6-8 touches per game, that’s about what we should expect from Cook. Perhaps with a full game under his belt against a weaker defense, Cook can put together a better performance in his second chance at action this season.
Regardless of how the touches are distributed at running back, the Cowboys will continue to be a pass-heavy offense, especially against a Falcons team that should be able to run all over their porous defense.