The Dallas Cowboys struggled in a plethora of areas in 2020, leading to their 6-10 record. Plenty of players on the roster took a step back but the shortcomings of Ezekiel Elliott were highlighted the most, and with good reason considering his stature in the NFL.
Elliott’s total rushing yards (979) and yards per rush (4.0) were the lowest marks of his career. Also, he equaled a career-low with only six rushing touchdowns. It wasn’t a pretty sight to see, but Pro Football Network still sees Elliott as one of the league’s best players. They recently released a portion of their top 100 players list, and Elliott came in at No. 88.
From Dalton Miller’s piece.
“Ezekiel Elliott is the definition of a bell-cow back. Outside of his suspension in 2017, he has missed just three regular-season games in his five-year career. In that time, he has touched the ball 1,654 times on offense.
“Elliott may not be the same home run hitter he was in 2016 coming out of Ohio State, but he’s one of the most reliable runners in the league at creating another yard or two when it’s simply not there. His vision as a runner is his strong suit, and as long as he has that, he’ll be productive.”
2020 was the first down season of Elliott’s career. He won two rushing titles (2016, 2018) in his first three seasons. The one season he didn’t (2017), he led the league in yards per game (98.3) despite missing six games due to a suspension. In 2019, the first year of his six-year $90 million deal, Elliott finished fourth in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, second in all-purpose yards, and first in 100-yard games.
What contributed to Elliott’s down year a season ago were the injuries to other key players around him. Dak Prescott missed 11 games with an ankle injury. The absence of adequate quarterback play allowed defenses to load the box against Elliott and limit his effectiveness. His top three offensive linemen (Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, La’el Collins) missed 36 games which led to 13 different line combinations that saw the field among the unit. That lack of continuity didn’t do Elliott any favors either.
The turnovers are where Elliott has to be better in 2021. After just six fumbles in his first two seasons, he’s put the ball on the ground 15 times in the last three, twice having six fumbles in a single year over that span (2018, 2020).
Luckily for the former fourth-overall pick from the 2016 NFL draft, he has some factors working in his favor in his attempt to regain his status as one of the league’s top rushers.
Prescott is back on the field and reportedly tossing the football around like the days of old, albeit in shorts and shoulder pads. His offensive line is back healthy as well, and if that remains the case for the upcoming season, there’s little doubt he’ll get back to being an effective runner.
Elliott has taken on a vigorous training regimen also this offseason, working closely with local running backs guru Josh Hicks. The workouts have centered around Elliott being more explosive and elusive while carrying the football, and Hicks has claimed the former Ohio State Buckeye hasn’t worked like this before in any offseason of his career.
@EzekielElliott 😈 pic.twitter.com/4kA5BUdIq2
— J.Hicks (@3hunnidGuru) July 5, 2021
The Cowboys bell-cow is looking to turn back the clock, so to speak, in 2021 and add to an aerial assault that rivals any in the NFL. If that is the case, the Cowboys will have one of the top offenses in the league, and with improvements on defense, a postseason trip could be on the horizon.
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