Many Cowboy fans were unimpressed when Jerry Jones decided to make Ezekiel Elliott the highest paid running back in the league in 2019. Not that he hadn’t earned it up to that point, but in today’s NFL it is considered unwise to invest in a depreciating asset like a running back. The theory is that you should run them into the ground while they are still on their rookie deals and then you just draft another young back as a replacement. Gone are the days of the workhorse backs like Jim Brown, Walter Payton, or Emmitt Smith. Now, a committee is just as effective in most modern offences and far less expensive.
After a down year in 2020, those folks who criticised the decision to pay Zeke appeared to be right. He had by far his worst season statistically and failed to carry the team after Dak Prescott suffered a season ending injury. Despite the valid excuse of playing behind a battered offensive line, his explosiveness had seemed to diminish and he inexplicably developed a bad habit of putting the ball on the ground. In addition to the diminishing returns on the field, Zeke has a long history of questionable off the field decisions and a reputation as a guy that “likes to party”. So, it’s no wonder some fans were calling for the Cowboys to move on from their star running back.
Fast forward to the 2021 season and Zeke appears to be an entirely different player altogether. He has just enjoyed arguably the quietest off-season of his entire professional football career. The only news surrounding Ezekiel Elliott this off-season was the news that he had shown up to training camp in excellent shape. After years of wight shaming on social media, the “Fat Zeke” narrative had shifted in the opposite direction. The buzz centred around how “cut” he looked with his shirt off or how quick and explosive he appeared in his off-season training videos. Zeke reported to camp weighing 10 Lbs lighter than he was last season and he was motivated to have a bounce back season.
Zeke’s physical transformation was not the only change he underwent. He also seems to have matured a great deal. He hasn’t had any negative press throughout the off-season, which was a welcome change; And, on the HBO show Hard Knocks, his leadership was on full display as he sat at the front of the room in team meetings and he helped coach up younger players like undrafted rookie hopeful JaQuan Hardy. All this positivity has led many Cowboy supporters to believe that Zeke is in line for major bounce back season.
Yet, after the first two games of the 2021 regular season, some of those supporters may be questioning Ezekiel Elliott once again. Thus far, through two games, Zeke has not been the featured back that he has been in the past. In the season opener, he only touched the ball 14 times and produced a grand total of 39 yards offensively; But, his contribution as a pass blocker, chipping in to pick up blitz after blitz was one of the main reasons the Cowboys were in that game against the defending champs. This week, against the Chargers, it was teammate Tony Pollard who took the staring role with over 100 yards rushing, but Zeke was also effective running the ball and capped off a drive with a score himself. Zeke may have been overshadowed by Pollard in this game, but he doesn’t care about the stats or how many touches he gets. The only statistic he cares about are wins. In a recent interview with former Cowboy great Michael Irvin on The Michael Irvin Podcast, Zeke shared his thoughts on expectations placed on him, the importance of winning football games, and on Dak’s return from injury among other things. Here is a clip from that interview which includes his response after being questioned on how he handles criticism of his game:
It is encouraging to know that Ezekiel Elliott has his priorities in order. He understands that the ultimate goal of winning a championship takes precedence over anything else and he is proving that he is willing to contribute in any way to help achieve that goal. Under Jason Garrett, the Cowboys would tend to lean on Zeke, getting him 25 to 30 touches a game. The end result was that Zeke would be battered and bruised towards the end of the season and into the playoffs if the team made it that far. When it mattered the most and the stakes were highest, Zeke had little left in the tank. This season, for the first time ever in the history of the NFL, there will be 17 regular season games. If the Cowboys hope to make a playoff run, they are going to need Ezekiel Elliott to be fresh and ready to take on that load once again if called upon. If that means the Cowboys are going to get Tony Pollard more involved or throw the ball often if the situation dictates that it is the best strategy, Cowboy fans should be thrilled to hear that. The philosophical debate over whether or not it is worth it to pay a running back is still ongoing; but, Cowboy fans can be secure in the knowledge that their team is a much better one with Ezekiel Elliott on it.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode