When discussing Dallas Cowboys running backs, the conversation begins and ends with Ezekiel Elliott. The All-Pro running back has led the league in rushing 2 of his three seasons in the pros despite playing in only 15 games in each of those years. The year he did not lead the league in rushing, he still finished in the top 10 despite missing 6 games. Last season he caught over 70 passes in addition to his rushing production and he has firmly established himself as the premier back in the entire NFL. Assuming the holdout does not extend into the regular season, the only concern with Ezekiel Elliott is that he has touched the ball far more than any other back during that span and the physical toll on his body was evident last season. The Dallas Cowboys offense relies heavily on Zeke, but it has become abundantly clear that the Dallas Cowboys running back depth needed to be addressed this offseason. If Zeke does miss any time as a result of his contract dispute, the issue of depth will be multiplied 100 fold.
Fortunately, The Dallas Cowboys have addressed the depth at the running back position during the NFL draft. In the 4th round they selected Tony Pollard out of Memphis. Pollard is an excellent receiver and a big time play maker with game breaking ability. He will be the change of pace back that will provide the Dallas Cowboys with the “lightning” to Zeke’s “thunder”. After spending a 4th round pick on Pollard, the Cowboys did not stop there. They also drafted former Ohio State buckeye Mike Weber in the 7th round to be the primary backup if Elliott were to miss time for any reason (injury or holdout?). Weber is less dynamic than Pollard but better suited to take over as a lead back in Zeke’s absence.
Jamize Olawale will return as the teams lone fullback and also contribute on special teams. I thought Olawale was mediocre in replacing Kieth Smith last season and was surprised the Cowboys resigned him but the team needs special teamers. Olawale has some receiving ability out of the backfield but his most memorable moment from last season came against the Colts in week 15 when he dropped an easy TD grab in an embarrassing shut out loss.
Darius Jackson is another running back in the mix to make the roster and he can also contribute on special teams. If Elliott does miss any time I am sure that the Cowboys would consider bringing in some free agent help. Jay Ajayi is a fan favorite as a guy that could be signed and some additional veteran talent may become available when roster cuts are finalized on August 31st.
While it is true that the conversation begins and ends with Ezekiel Elliott concerning the Dallas Cowboys running backs, one thing is certain; I feel a lot better about the running back depth in 2019 than I did going into 2018.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode