As the 2024 season continues to circle the drain for the Dallas Cowboys, the status of running back Ezekiel Elliott has morphed into a mostly futile subplot for this team, an interesting off-field drama that has little to do with how the team is playing on the field.
Elliott was not with the team on Sunday for the Cowboys’ Week 9 game against the Falcons, another loss, this time by a count of 27-21. He was kept away from the group as a suspension for what coach Mike McCarthy termed, “clearly a team discipline situation.”
All of which put Cowboys star quarterback Dak Prescott in a difficult position. Prescott, who injured his hamstring in the loss to Atlanta and will miss several games, is a team leader on one hand and needs to support the discipline of the group. On the other hand, he is a close, long-time friend of Elliott.
“Definitely a difficult situation for me, personally,’’ Prescott said, via the Dallas Morning News. “Being as close as I am with him…wanted to help.
“Obviously, this is a mutual decision for him not to take this trip. I should say just getting himself together. And I’d like to see us rally around him, be the teammates and the brothers that we are. Good will come from it.’’
Ezekiel Elliott Absence Opened Door for Rico Dowdle
It’s hard to see what good will come out of Elliott’s absence. He has tallied just 149 yards on 48 carries in seven games this season, a career-low 3.1 yards per rushing attempt. If anything, not having him on the field spurred the Cowboys to the best day of the season running the ball, as they tallied 137 rushing yards, just the third time this year they’ve gone over 100 yards on the ground.
Running back Rico Dowdle ran for 75 yards on 12 carries, and added 32 receiving yards on five catches, with a very dramatic touchdown catch mixed in.
Very few Cowboys have upped their stock over the course of this miserable year, but Dowdle is among them.
Cowboys ‘Addressing’ Situation
Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones addressed the situation on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Monday.
“It’s something that we’re addressing. It was related to discipline, and that’s all we have to say about it. It was to a level that Coach McCarthy and the organization felt it should be addressed. Zeke’s a great competitor and one of the great players to come through this door. Going forward he wants to continue that standard. Certainly, we expect that standard,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News.
Jones went on to add that the tardiness issues from Elliott came as a surprise to him.
“You don’t ever expect this from players like Zeke, or some of the best players to ever be in a Cowboy uniform. At the same time, no one’s perfect, and people make mistakes. I’m sure Zeke will get it right going forward,” Jones added.
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Cowboys’ Dak Prescott Sounds off on ‘Difficult’ Ezekiel Elliott Drama