It was not a surprise when the Dallas Cowboys decided to release Ezekiel Elliott and let him walk in free agency. Releasing Elliott saved nearly $11 million towards the team’s salary cap. In addition, Elliott was coming off of his least efficient season and was showing worrying signs of decline.
Rising star Tony Pollard has taken over for Elliott and the Cowboys offense hadn’t miss a beat until a surprising loss against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3. A loss to one of the (projected) worst teams in the league will always set off alarms, particularly for a team like the Cowboys that’s always under the microscope.
Robert Griffin III says Cowboys miss Zeke
While the defense played poorly and quarterback Dak Prescott couldn’t muster up enough scoring drives, ESPN analyst Robert Griffin III believes one of the big reasons for Dak’s struggles and the offense only scoring 16 points was the departure of Elliott.
For it felt like two or three years, everyone at this network and around the world was talking about Zeke being washed. But the bottom line is, the Dallas Cowboys miss Zeke right now. Last year he was 17 for 21 on third and fourth down conversions. In the red zone, when you have a hammer like Ezekiel Elliot, it can take a lot of pressure off of the quarterback.
Ezekiel Elliott: Good in short yardage, bad at everything else
Griffin’s cited stat is correct: Elliott was good at converting short yardage situations in 2022. But as an overall player, Elliott was severely inefficient last season. He ranked 43rd out of 60 running backs in yards after contact per attempt and 43rd of 48 in rushing yards over expected per attempt.
Him being able to pick up first downs in short yardage opportunities was because it’s easier to get yards when there’s only one or two needed to gain a first down. And on many of those carries, the numbers suggest Elliott should have actually gained more yards.
Dallas Cowboys RBs are doing fine
In 2023, that trend has continued. Elliott is averaging -0.19 rushing yards over expected per attempt, meaning he’s not even always taking what’s blocked in front of him. Pollard is averaging 0.25 RYOE per carry. Pollard’s backup, Rico Dowdle, actually has a similar rushing efficiency number as Elliott (3.5 to Zeke’s 3.46) per NFL Next Gen Stats, meaning the Cowboys aren’t exactly “missing” Elliott.
Then there’s also the fact the Cowboys were without Pro Bowlers Tyron Smith, Zack Martin and Tyler Biadasz on the offensive line for their game against the Cardinals. Despite that, Pollard ran for 122 yards on 23 carries and Dowdle gained 21 on four carries. So, the Cowboys running game appears to be fine without Elliott for now.
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