What are fair expectations at this point for Ezekiel Elliott? He’s been a great player in the past, but it’s 2020, and the Cowboys are a dumpster fire.
With Dallas not having the dominant offensive line it’s had in the past, Elliott isnt’ getting big holes to run through. He’s had fumbling issues, and he’s also been banged up.
The Cowboys are sitting at 2-7 now, and you have to wonder how interested he is in playing hard and sacrificing himself for a lost cause. And does the team even want Elliott playing a big role and getting beaten into pulp? Or is it better at this point to just coast through the season, with an eye on 2021?
In their past two games, backup Tony Pollard has brought more juice to the running game. His last 16 carries have gone for 97 yards; that’s over 6 yards per carry. Elliott, on the other hand, has been half as effective in his last two games, with his 37 carries going for only 114 yards.
In the first half of the season, Pollard has averaged over 5 yards per carry in five games. Elliott thus far hasn’t averaged 5 yards per attempt in any game.
Elliott in the past has been one of those workhorse backs who almost never came out of games. But the way these guys are playing now, it would make sense to make sure Pollard gets at least a half-dozen touches in every game (and if he continues to play well, his role would need to be further expanded).
| DALLAS RUNNERS BY YARDS PER CARRY | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Wk | Opp | Result | Att | Yds | Avg | TD |
| Pollard | 9 | Pitt. | L 19-24 | 9 | 57 | 6.33 | 0 |
| Pollard | 8 | at Phil. | L 9-23 | 7 | 40 | 5.71 | 0 |
| Pollard | 4 | Clev. | L 38-49 | 3 | 16 | 5.33 | 1 |
| Pollard | 1 | at LAR | L 17-20 | 2 | 10 | 5.00 | 0 |
| Pollard | 5 | NYG | W 37-34 | 6 | 30 | 5.00 | 0 |
| Elliott | 5 | NYG | W 37-34 | 19 | 91 | 4.79 | 2 |
| Elliott | 4 | Clev. | L 38-49 | 12 | 54 | 4.50 | 0 |
| Elliott | 1 | at LAR | L 17-20 | 22 | 96 | 4.36 | 1 |
| Elliott | 6 | Ariz. | L 10-38 | 12 | 49 | 4.08 | 0 |
| Elliott | 2 | Atl. | W 40-39 | 22 | 89 | 4.05 | 1 |
| Elliott | 7 | at Was. | L 3-25 | 12 | 45 | 3.75 | 0 |
| Elliott | 8 | at Phil. | L 9-23 | 19 | 63 | 3.32 | 0 |
| Pollard | 6 | Ariz. | L 10-38 | 10 | 31 | 3.10 | 0 |
| Pollard | 2 | Atl. | W 40-39 | 2 | 6 | 3.00 | 0 |
| Elliott | 9 | Pitt. | L 19-24 | 18 | 51 | 2.83 | 0 |
| Elliott | 3 | at Sea. | L 31-38 | 14 | 34 | 2.43 | 1 |
| Pollard | 7 | at Was. | L 3-25 | 8 | 16 | 2.00 | 0 |
| Pollard | 3 | at Sea. | L 31-38 | 0 | 0 | -- | 0 |
—Ian Allan