Tag: Ezekial Elliott

Follow the Money: Breakdown of Cowboys RBs salaries, cap hits

A breakdown of the cap spending at the running back position and how despite the cupboard being bare, there’s a sizable chunk being spent at the spot. | From @ArmyChiefW3

As quarterback takes up an enormous percentage of the Dallas Cowboys salary cap for 2024, something they should hope to reduce before the new league year begins, other positions have taken a back seat in how Stephen Jones’ proverbial pie has been divided. And while recent years have seen a sizable investment in the pasture where the bell cows have grazed, that will likely not be the case for the upcoming season.

The lack of a run game in Dallas is a huge concern, but the problem has a clear path to recovery. And while the solution may reside more along the offensive line and its performance, the club will still need to add additional investments to the running back room as it will more than likely look significantly different come training camp. With the top two backs hitting unrestricted free agency, here’s what the Cowboys currently have under contract to replace Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle’s contributions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Narrowing down Cowboys’ Week 11 performance to 3 stars is a thankless job

Imagine a world where Dak Prescott, Trevon Diggs and 50×2 plus 60×2 kicker aren’t among the best performances. @cdpiglet loves this world.

What a difference a week makes. Seven days ago, the Minnesota Vikings were living the high life after coming back to beat the Buffalo Bills on the road. The Dallas Cowboys were deflated, losing a 14-point fourth quarter lead, for the first time in franchise history, to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Now the Cowboys are flying high after absolutely mauling the Vikings in their own home in record-setting fashion. The 40-3 victory was the largest point differential in a road win in Dallas history.

Games like this, it’s tough to pick three stars. Could Dak Prescott miss the cut while throwing for 276 yards and two touchdowns on an 88% completion percentage? What about Trevon Diggs, who followed Justin Jefferson all over the field, holding him to three catches and only 33 yards. Maher made every kick, including ones from 53, 50, and 60. . . twice.

Those are three players that could easily make the cut, but they weren’t the top guys this week. Here are the three stars from the Cowboys beat down of the Vikings.

3 Stars: Rookie, vet RB shine alongside main mane in Cowboys win over Lions

The two-headed RB monster roared, the pride leader showed others their place but it was the young upstart who stole the show in @CDPiglet’s 3 stars from Sunday.

The first game back for quarterback Dak Prescott ended up looking like a game started by backup Cooper Rush. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard were the focus of a conservative offense that had more than 30 rush attempts and under 200 passing yards. The Dallas defense led the way, only allowing six points, while sacking the opposing QB five times, and creating five total turnovers.

Prescott did have some impact on the offense, throwing zero interceptions compared to the three last week, and leading the team to a 75% redzone touchdown percentage with the team scoring three out of four times. The one time the team didn’t score was because wide receiver Noah Brown fumbled on a reception inside the five-yard line.

This team isn’t the Kansas City Chiefs, or the Miami Dolphins offensively. They don’t have the offensive line or receiving talent to spread out and throw the ball all over the field, but an excellent run game and ferocious defense can still be impactful and help the team shine like the decals on the helmets of the three stars of the game.

Vast Array of Weaponry: Cowboys’ skill positions ranked No. 2 in NFL by ESPN

ESPN predicts the Cowboys’ offense to be prolific in 2021 with Prescott returning and the weapons are plentiful on offense. | From @CDBurnett7

Playing without quarterback Dak Prescott for most of the 2020 season, it was still easy to see how high-octane the Cowboys’ offense could be. Backup quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Garrett Gilbert were able to shine in certain moments thanks to the stellar play of the club’s receivers and running backs.

ESPN recently released their rankings for offensive arsenals in 2021, judging the skill positions on offense for every team. Dallas earned the respect of the critics in 2020, being ranked No. 2, only behind the defending champion Buccaneers.

Everybody’s numbers were down after Prescott was replaced by Andy Dalton and the team used backup tackles for virtually the entire season, but rookie wideout CeeDee Lamb looked like a star. We know what Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup can do with a healthy Prescott, and while tight end Blake Jarwin missed most of the year with a torn ACL, Dalton Schultz stepped in and racked up 615 yards with four touchdowns. That’s more receiving yards than Dallas Goedert has produced in any of his three NFL seasons.

In what was considered a down year, running back Ezekiel Elliott put together over 1,300 total yards though he did have issues with five lost fumbles. The most impressive thing about his season was achieving what he did without Prescott and most of the offensive line.

Offensive tackles La’el Collins and Tyron Smith had their season end early while Zack Martin went down later in the season. Both centers Joe Looney and rookie Tyler Biadasz missed time.

His numbers should bounce back some with Prescott & Co. returning to the fold, but the arguments that he was a scheme- or line-transcendent back are firmly in the past. This is a passing team now.

Before the 2020 NFL Draft, Dallas had a strong collection of weapons on offense with wide receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup to go along with tight end Blake Jarwin, who was fresh off a breakout game to end 2019. Things went from good to great in the offense when wide receiver CeeDee Lamb fell to the Cowboys at the No. 17 pick.

Lamb shined in his rookie season with over 1,000 total yards, while also becoming a part of the rushing game and a weapon in the return game. The Oklahoma standout also returned an onside kick for a touchdown against the 49ers to seal the game.

Cooper put together another strong season with over 1,000 receiving yards to go along with five touchdowns. Despite a handful of games where he seemed forgotten, Gallup once again went over 100 targets on the season, totaling 843 receiving yards himself. In a contract season, he’s expected to show the assumed bump in production.

Jarwin went down with a torn ACL in Week 1, but backup Dalton Schultz stepped up and put together a solid season with career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. The duo will be valuable in 2021, especially in play-action sets.

The Cowboys’ offense should return to be one of the best, if not the best in 2021 with Prescott and the healthy offensive line back in the fold. The weapons that Dallas has built together in recent years will have a chance to put it all together with everyone taking advantage of a full offseason.

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