In 2024, what can the Cowboys anticipate from Ezekiel Elliott?
Dallas Cowboys officially brought back former All-Pro Running Back, Ezekiel Elliott on Monday.
Signing Elliott had been floated by Jerry Jones for almost a year.
But, it was the Cowboys’ approach to the position this offseason that turned rumors into reality.
Dallas was initially expected to pursue a running back early in free agency.
Of course, this did not happen, as the Cowboys got “out-bid” (which we’ve definitely never heard before).
Then, all seven rounds of the NFL Draft came and went with no RB selection either.
Dallas was left with little options.
Retaining the previous top-five selection was a simple and affordable solution.
The re-signing of Elliott has sparked intense discussion among supporters, understandably enough.
We can all agree that this offers the Cowboys some much-needed clarity at running back, even though both sides have valid points.
It’s time to concentrate on what Elliott might offer this season in his former haunts.
Though there are a lot of mixed expectations for him, let’s look ahead and see what may be realistically expected from “Zeke” in 2024.
We need just look at Elliott’s most recent output to get a decent notion of what the Cowboys might get out of him.
That originated in New England, of course.
Though Elliott will always have a special place in my heart, his minimal success as a Patriots running back cannot be overlooked.
He was rushing for a career-low 3.5 yards per carry, but he was unable to produce large gains or steady runs.
That stat has been steadily decreasing for Elliott since the 2019 season.
The question is, did New England’s shortcomings or his own contribute to the 2023 career low?
Both, in little doses, is the response.
With the Patriots, Elliott lacked his explosiveness, which caused spaces to quickly fill and hindered his ability to regularly force players to miss, bounce outside, or outrun defenses.
However, prominent media sources like The 33rd Team placed the Patriots’ offensive line among the lowest five in the league for 2023 at the same time.
If you watched any Pats games last year, you don’t need these rankings to tell you it was bad.
They were flat-out terrible offensively, especially in the passing game.
That created two things for Elliott.
Stacked boxes to run against because defenses did not fear the pass, and lots of work in the passing game as a receiver out of the backfield.
For New England, Elliott caught 51 passes, which was a record for the most in a season since 2020.
This tells us a few things.
Is Elliott the explosive athlete and dynamic runner he used to be? No.
However, he wasn’t solely to blame for the unsuccessful year in New England; constantly facing blitzes can be difficult.
Along with being a reliable ball handler, he can be a big help in the passing game.
In 2024, Elliott might be a fantastic receiving threat, blocker, and short-yardage runner for Dallas; he might also gain from an upgraded offensive line.
They also can’t expect him to be the same Pro Bowl player as before.
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