Getty Jason Garrett, Ezekiel Elliott
The Dallas Cowboys want Ezekiel Elliott. The Dallas Cowboys don’t necessarily need Ezekiel Elliott.
This — the massive distinction — is what Elliott’s head coach and at least one fellow starter intimated Tuesday, Day 33 of the All-Everything running back’s holdout from team activities.
“You focus on the guys who are here and the guys who are available,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said, per Pro Football Talk. “You are confronted with a lot of those situations over the course of the year. Hopefully you have built your team in such a way that you can go with the next guy. We feel good about that next guy. We will have different injuries throughout the year. And we can’t say, ‘Aw, when is he coming back?’ You move on. You put the next guy in there.
“Zeke has been a really good player for us. We love him as a guy. We love him as a player. We want to get him back in here. Right now, we are going with the guys we have. When Zeke gets back here, we will get him integrated as quickly as we can, and he will be a big part of our team.”
Dallas guard Zack Martin loves blocking for Elliott, the two-time NFL rushing champion and Pro Bowler. He loves winning more. And Martin feels the horses who are present — notably rookie RB sensation Tony Pollard — are enough to power the squad into the regular season, which, as of this writing, is now 11 days away.
“We’re going to play with what we’ve got, and what we’ve got is a damn good back in Tony Pollard,” Martin said, per the Dallas Morning News (via PFT). “Obviously, we want [Elliott] out here, but we’re prepared to get ready for Week One.”
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Pollard Ready for ‘Whatever’
Pollard isn’t Elliott (really, who is?) but he nonetheless brings an explosive element to the backfield. The fourth-round pick and Memphis product has shined in Zeke’s stead, totaling 84 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries (5.6 yards per tote). He’s chipped in an additional three receptions for 19 yards while operating with the first-team offense.
Among a RB corps that also features Alfred Morris and rookie Mike Weber, Pollard has elevated to clear-cut No. 2 status. For the time being, though, he’s wearing starter shoes and liking how they fit.
“It’s not what I expected coming into this situation, but I always prepare, being ready for whatever,” he told The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Since this situation did happen, the way I prepared, I guess I was just ready for it. I’m just going to continue to make the most of it.
“I’m just coming in being the best back I can be, doing whatever the team needs me to do.”
Zeke Rejects Latest Offer, Hasn’t Drawn Another
The sooner Elliott returns to headquarters, the sooner Pollard is knocked down the depth chart. Whether that occurs before Week 1 is anyone’s guess, but the student need not worry about the teacher reclaiming his throne. Yet.
Based on the latest reports and whatever the rumor mill cranks out, Elliott recently rejected a contract offer from the Cowboys which would have made him the league’s second-highest-paid back, behind only Los Angeles’ Todd Gurley. He’s yet to receive a new proposal from Jerry Jones and Co.
Elliott is currently in Cabo San Lucas training with Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, who relayed that “the process of getting into football shape is underway.” During his Mexican respite, Elliott reportedly dropped his weight to the low 220s and took Faulk’s money to boot.
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