Amari Cooper this week set the bar awfully high for himself and his pass-catching cohorts in Dallas. If he, Michael Gallup, and rookie CeeDee Lamb follow through on what Cooper called “the expectations” for all three to notch 1,000-yard receiving seasons, it would mark just the sixth time in league history a trio of teammates has accomplished the feat.
Cooper may have raised a few eyebrows by saying it out loud. But running back Ezekiel Elliott was quick to smack down the attempts by one reporter to raise questions about what that might mean for the team’s rushing attack.
ESPN’s Ed Werder, a longtime Cowboys insider, wondered via Twitter what a pass-heavy gameplan- the kind that might produce three 1,000-yard receivers- would leave in terms of touches for Elliott, who’s averaged 20-plus carries per game in each of his last three seasons.
Where does this expectation leave @EzekielElliott in terms of his role? His production is essential in my mind. But Mike McCarthy
earned a reputation in GB for putting his full faith in the QB. https://t.co/eLfXIvZGvE— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) August 5, 2020
The two-time rushing champ, though, does not seem to be concerned about his workload taking a nosedive simply because there’s a wealth of WR weaponry in the Dallas huddle.
We all gonna EAT. Don’t try to start that messy 💩. https://t.co/ovu0NpjXqX
— Ezekiel Elliott (@EzekielElliott) August 5, 2020
A few things to consider. First, with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers on the roster, it’s no wonder the Packers were a pass-first team, especially when the best backfield options were the likes of Ahman Green, Ryan Grant, and Eddie Lacy. Fine rushers, all, but none of them realistically approach Elliott’s caliber. McCarthy “putting his full faith in the QB” during his Green Bay tenure is, then, completely understandable. It’s sound strategy. But it doesn’t automatically follow that he’ll blindly force the same philosophy in Dallas.
But even if McCarthy does go with an all-out air raid, that’s not to say Elliott won’t still rack up his numbers. Of the five previous squads to feature a trio of 1,000-yard receivers, two also had a rusher hit the milestone, as The Athletic‘s Jon Machota pointed out.
Two of the five teams with three 1,000-yard receivers also had 1,000-yard rushers, including the 2004 Colts (Edgerrin James had 1,548 rushing yards, 483 receiving yards that season)
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 5, 2020
Legendary offenses find a way to spread the ball around, and Dallas’s offense has all the ingredients to be just that.
Finally, it’s not like the Cowboys didn’t come really close to pulling off this exact feat just last season. In 2019, both Cooper and Gallup topped 1,000 yards. In fact, each finished with over 1,100. Randall Cobb totaled 828, falling just 172 yards short of the magic benchmark. That’s over 3,000 yards distributed among three guys. And yet, Elliott still ended up with 1,357 on the ground.
While Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb could mathematically all be 1,000-yard men and still leave more than enough meat on the bone for Elliott, the triple-1K crown isn’t something that fans should necessarily want to see.
Cowboys staff writers debated the notion on the team website. All admit that it’s certainly possible, given the talents of the players in question. But while it would likely be fun to watch, it may not be desirable. In fact, if it does happen, it could mean that the season is not going as hoped.
Writes David Helman:
“Dak Prescott’s favorite guy is the open guy. He’s going to throw a lot of balls to running backs, and the (hopeful) emergence of Blake Jarwin is another thing to consider.”
From Rob Phillips:
“[I]f the Cowboys have more success as a team, play with more leads, Elliott and Tony Pollard will have more chances to grind out yards. The offense played from behind a lot last season. That’s a big reason why quarterback Dak Prescott had at least 40 pass attempts in seven of the 16 games.”
And according to Nick Eatman:
“Honestly, if things go right, they probably won’t even have two [1,000-yard receivers]. Again, that’s a good thing. If this team is going to be a 10-11-12 win team, they need to be running the ball and running out the clock in the fourth quarter, not passing the ball around. Is it possible? Yes, but it’s not a good thing.”
But for now, the lawfirm of Cooper, Gallup, and Lamb should absolutely have their sights set on 1,000 apiece. In fact, so should Jarwin. And Elliott should go ahead and get his “Feed Me” bowl all cleaned up and ready for another big helping of touches. And, heck, why not let 2020 be the year that Pollard breaks out, too?
There are boatloads of yards to go around for this season’s Cowboys offense. Let the opposing defenses be the ones to try to guess which playmakers are going to be the ones to get them on any given week.
[vertical-gallery id=651057]
[vertical-gallery id=650836]
[vertical-gallery id=646597]
[lawrence-newsletter]