Ezekiel Elliott left the Cowboys last season and spent a long, cold year in the frozen tundra that is New England. He played for an awful Patriots team that would cost legend and head coach Bill Belichek his job. Despite the struggle, Zeke fought and clawed his way to almost 1,000 total yards and five touchdowns. Now, he’s back with the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliot is ready to take the starting running back job and dare I say, thrive!
Full disclosure, I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan. By that I mean I’m used to having my hopes devoured each season. I’m used to that sick feeling lingering after a bonehead play causes the Cowboys to lose. If anything, my fandom makes me look at the warts even closer when it comes to both the Dallas Cowboys and the only running back they added this offseason, Ezekiel Elliot.
How 2024 became all about Ezekiel Elliot.
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The team should have 100% drafted a younger, more athletic back, but Jerry Jones moronically decided against it and used the team’s picks on positions of lesser need. Instead, Jerry thought that a 29-year-old Ezekiel Elliot would be the answer. And that’s probably because 29 still sounds young to the 124-year-old owner. But you know what, Zeke actually might be the answer!
Last season was the first year apart for Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys since 2016. In his place, Tony Pollard held the top running back job, but his results were worse than the Cowboys (and myself) expected. Still, it’s a big loss for the team as Tony headed to Tennessee this offseason.
Pollard rushed for over 1,000 yards and showed off his trailblazing speed time and time again, something that Ezekiel Elliott no longer possesses. But after watching Zeke on the Patriots, it’s clear he has something left to give. He looked downright explosive at times last season and his pass protection is still among the league’s elite.
How Ezekiel Elliott will dominate 2024
All this means that Ezekiel Elliott has the opportunity to seize the top job. Just take a look at the running back room! Rico Dowdle returns along with 5’7 Deuce Vaughn and journeyman Royce Freeman. Dowdle is seen as the biggest threat to Ezekiel Elliott, but he has had injury and fumble issues in the past that may again keep him off the field. Deuce Vaughn is frankly too small to be an every-down back and might not have what it takes to last in the NFL period, while the Cowboys are Freeman’s fifth team since 2020. He’s just a depth piece at this point in his career who probably won’t end up on the active roster most weeks.
All three of them might play a part this season, but none of them should take the mantle from Zeke as the lead back. And that means Ezekiel Elliott has a chance to shine again because head coach Mike McCarthy and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer want to pound the rock! Luckily, the Cowboys offense has a lot of other weapons that will open things up for Zeke to do just that.
Final Thoughts
The Cowboy’s offense is the single biggest reason to get excited about Ezekiel Elliott. Dak Prescott, who finished 3rd in the MVP voting last season and is Zeke’s best friend, will make life much easier by opening up the field. CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Jake Ferguson are exceptional pass catchers that defenses have to focus on, leaving Zeke as a dangerous afterthought who will slowly wear opposing teams down. CeeDee, Cooks, and Ferguson will also help the Cowboys get in scoring position, leading to easy touchdowns for Ezekiel Elliott to feed on.
And that’s why he’s not just gonna be a spare part for the Cowboys. No, Ezekiel Elliot will be a critical part of his team’s success this season, which means opportunities will be there for him to score fantasy points and show his haters that Zeke can still be fed over and over again.
