After a single season in New England, running back Ezekiel Elliott is back in the city of Dallas. The Cowboys and their former No. 4 overall pick fell back into the familiar arms of one another when Tony Pollard left in free agency. He brings home with him familiarity and versatility.
Expectations are clearly different this go-around. Elliott is no longer one of the highest paid running backs in the league. He’s no longer expected to be the face of the franchise or the bell cow between the tackles. He’s entering the third chapter in his NFL career and at age 28, bringing more modest expectations for the 2024 season.
This isn’t the Elliott of 2016. It’s not even the Elliott of 2021. This version of Elliott is coming off a campaign where he posted career lows in yards, yards/carry, rushing yards after contact/attempt, broken tackle rate and break away percentage. By many accounts he’s a below average RB at this point in his career but that doesn’t mean he’s not bringing something extremely valuable to the table.
Elliott’s best quality when he joined the Cowboys in 2016 is his best quality today in 2024. It’s his ability to do it all. Elliott always was, and continues to be, a jack-of-all-trades at the RB position. In an age of specialists and rotations, it’s a rare trait that gives the Cowboys a rare advantage. It’s mystery.
When Elliott is in the huddle, the play call could literally be anything (flashback to when Elliott lined up at center). Elliott can run inside the tackles or outside on the edge. He can run in gap or zone schemes. He can pass protect and he can catch. He can even lead block. Elliott may not be elite in any single area of the game anymore, but he’s elite in his versatility.
When the 5-foot-6, 176-pound Deuce Vaughn takes the field, defenses probably feel pretty confident he’s not in there to pound a run between the tackles or sit back in pass protection. He’s limited as a player, so the play possibilities are limited for the Cowboys. Just like when the 6-foot, 238-pound Royce Freeman takes the field, the play call is probably less likely to have him bounce outside or be a target in the passing game. The same thing can be applied to everyone down the depth chart because the strengths and weaknesses of the runners inevitably tip off defenses.
Elliott doesn’t tip off anything.
Mike McCarthy’s offense isn’t the most deceptive attack in the NFL. There isn’t much misdirection, and the various personnel packages tend to deliver extremely predictable play calls. Elliott adds a little mystery to an otherwise unmysterious offense and the importance of that can’t be understated.
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