Getty Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott greets fans after an NFL game.
The Dallas Cowboys’ bye week came at an ideal time for running back Ezekiel Elliott, who was forced to miss the team’s Week 8 victory over the Chicago Bears.
Elliott is recovering from a knee injury suffered in Week 7 against the Detroit Lions. The Cowboys made short work of the Bears even without Elliott, winning 49-28 in a trip to Soldier Field.
Now, Dallas owner Jerry Jones is speaking on the running back’s recovery timeline. According to Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein, Jones is expecting Elliott to be healthy enough for the Cowboys’ next game against the Green Bay Packers.
“Yes, I expect Zeke back against Green Bay,” Jones said in an interview on 105.3 The Fan.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to @1053thefan on RB Ezekiel Elliott playing vs. Packers next week: “Yes, I expect Zeke back against Green Bay.”
The Cowboys keeping Elliott off the field against Chicago was a way to maximize his recovery with the help of the bye week. Considering that the next two games are against the Packers and Minnesota Vikings, a healthy Zeke will be a big boost.
Elliott in 2022
Coming into this season, there was consistent speculation through the spring and summer about Elliott’s future with the team. As a three-time Pro Bowler and the NFL’s highest-paid running back according to Sportrac, the expectations on Zeke are high.
Elliott barely cracked the 1000-yard rushing mark in 2021, averaging 4.2 yards per carry and scoring ten touchdowns. With seven appearances in 2022, he’s on a slight uptick in production according to Pro Football Reference.
Elliott is averaging 4.1 yards per carry, but 14.4 yards more per game so far in 2022 compared to 2021 (63.3). At 443 rushing yards and four touchdowns, he’s on pace for 1012 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
Considering he has to split carries with running back Tony Pollard, it’s not bad production. But in terms of meeting the expectations of being the highest-paid RB in the league, Dallas is not getting great value out of the money they’re paying Elliott.
Plus, Pollard is only making it harder and harder to limit his touches, especially after an explosive game against the Bears.
Cowboys Explode Through Pollard
Any concerns about the Cowboys missing Elliott against the Bears were silenced by Pollard, as the 25-year-old led the offense with a massive day. On 14 carries, Pollard went for 131 rushing yards and added a hat trick of touchdowns to boot.
While Pollard’s production when Elliott is healthy is more focused in the passing game, the Cowboys RB only had one target and catch against Chicago. His impressive performance was fully on the ground as the Bears simply couldn’t stop Pollard.
The huge day put him at 506 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the season, averaging 6.2 yards in the process. All of those stats are a tick above what Elliott has done with more touches in 2022.
After speaking on Elliott’s status to 105.3 The Fan, Jones was asked about Pollard’s play and the Cowboys owner gave an emphatic answer.
“Tony answered visibly what most thought: And that’s that he’s an outstanding weapon to win football games with, to be trite,” Jone said, according to Epstein.
Dallas has the benefit of having two high-end running backs, but Pollard is making the choice on who to lead with harder and harder.