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Robert Griffin III broke it down for the Dallas Cowboys — simple math.
The Baltimore Ravens need a running back and the Cowboys didn’t seem to need their running back on Thursday night.
Two plus two equals trade, according to their former rival.
“They might as well go ahead and trade Ezekiel Elliot to the Ravens. He would get more than 4 carries in the first half,” Griffin tweeted amid Dallas’ 31-29 loss to Tampa Bay.
After NFL analyst Emmanuel Acho pointed out “nobody want(s) that contract,” Griffin added, “Just wanna see Zeke get his carries to justify his contract and help other RB’s get paid in the future.”
Griffin’s comments came amid a shockingly quiet outing from the league’s richest runner, who totaled 33 scoreless yards on 11 nondescript carries. Largely ignored until the fourth quarter, he also had two catches for six yards, noticeably failing to reach the end zone when given the opportunity.
“Ezekiel Elliot is just out there for conditioning. 4 carries and 5 total touches in 40 plays at the half,” Acho tweeted during the game.
The non-performance was in sharp contrast to Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore dialing up a whopping 58 passes for quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott — making his first start in 11 months, returning from ankle and shoulder injuries — finished with 403 air yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
Moore centered his game plan around his collection of elite receivers, figuring it’s futile to attack the teeth of an extremely imposing defense. It’s not as if Elliott was out-touched by his understudy, Tony Pollard, who logged three totes. Simply, the opponent and game flow dictated such radical play-calling.
And radical reaction.
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Ravens Can Call; Cowboys Won’t Answer
Griffin proposed this would-be suitor for Elliott because, in case you missed it, Baltimore has lost three RBs (JK Dobbins, Justice Hill, Gus Edwards) to season-ending injuries in the span of about a week. Desperation could prompt an inquiry to Jerry Jones.
However, Jones is stuck with Elliott for the foreseeable future; the latter’s contract is guaranteed for both 2021 and 2022, and the team recently converted this year’s base salary into a signing bonus to create additional salary-cap space.
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McCarthy, Elliott Speak on Usage
The Cowboys head coach didn’t reveal much pertaining to Zeke in his post-game press conference. But Mike McCarthy, coming out of halftime, did mention to the NBC Sports broadcast crew that Elliott and Pollard’s respective timeshares were the result of “defensive matchups we are seeing,” per beat reporter Brianna Dix.
Speaking after the defeat, Elliott echoed McCarthy albeit with a slightly different tone, saying, “You know, the game goes however it goes. I was out there to play — out there to do my best every play. So, I mean, I don’t know.”
READ NEXT: Cowboys Called Out for Ezekiel Elliott’s Play vs. Buccaneers
Follow Zack Kelberman on Twitter: @KelbermanNFL
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