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For the past two seasons, Dallas Cowboys fans have scratched their heads as they attempted to figure out the declining and befuddling production, or lack thereof, of Ezekiel Elliott.
At just the age of 26, Elliott should have a ton of good football left in him. But, needless to say, it appears as though his punishing running style has caught up to him far faster than anyone could’ve predicted.
Luckily for both the franchise and their loyal fanbase, there’s a certain player currently languishing on the bench who would love to jump into the starting lineup...Tony Pollard.
Benching Elliott would be a tough pill to swallow. The franchise recently re-signed him to a six-year deal worth $90 million. Still, while he’s been a franchise pillar for years, it’s time for the Cowboys to move in another direction and place Elliott on the bench. We’ll give you three reasons why Dallas should make the move and replace Elliott with Pollard.
#1 Tony Pollard is simply better
It was never a question as to who was the best running back in the entire NFL. Ezekiel Elliott easily ran past his hulking defenders or trucked over smaller defensive backs who thought it was a good idea to stand between himself and the end zone. Now, however, there is a serious discussion surrounding who’s the best running back on his very own team, and that is a fair question to ask.
From the moment Elliott stepped onto the scene, he was a bonafide monster. In two of his first three seasons in the NFL, Elliott led the entire league in rushing yards. In year four, while he didn't quite repeat that same feat, he was incredibly close, finishing the season with 1,357 yards.
At the age of 25, Elliott had already hit the wall. In year five, he rushed for just 979 yards. This past season, it took him 17 games to rush for 1,002 yards. Overall, Tony Pollard is simply better than Elliott in all facets of the game. Last year, Pollard registered more yards per attempt, more yards per game, and he even caught more yards through the air. Remember, this is happening with Pollard coming off the bench to spell Elliott for short bursts. At this point, Pollard is giving the Cowboys more overall production. It’s time to make the switch.
2. Dak Prescott is clearly the leader of the offense
Once upon a time, the Dallas Cowboys would only go as far as Ezekiel Elliott could take them. For what it’s worth, Elliott was a monster in his first few seasons in the league and appeared to be a generational talent. However, as the years have slowly ticked by, Elliott’s ability to carry the Cowboys for long stretches has dissipated.
Under normal circumstances, Elliott’s meager production over the years would’ve resulted in the Cowboys pumping out mediocre record after mediocre record. But thanks to the maturation of Dak Prescott, the Cowboys have been just fine.
This past season, Elliott produced the worst year of his career. In 17 games, the declining back rushed for just 1,002 yards. Prescott, on the other hand, had the best season of his life. The multiple-time Pro Bowler went for 4,449 yards and produced career highs in both touchdowns thrown (37) and completion percentage (68.8%).
For whatever reason, when Elliott is in the starting lineup, he continually receives the ball more than he should. Placing Elliott on the bench and allowing Tony Pollard to step into the starting lineup will allow Prescott to simply focus on getting the ball down the field to his talented receivers as opposed to forcing the ball to Elliott.
3. No big play ability
Ezekiel Elliott has always had a physically impressive frame. Standing at 6’0” and weighing a little over 220 pounds, Elliott has spent the majority of his career shrugging off tacklers and getting the ball into the end zone. Despite his hulking physique, Elliott was always incredibly fast.
Yet, for some reason, Elliott’s speed has decreased considerably, despite being only 26-years-old. Over the past three seasons, Elliott’s three longest runs of the season were as followed: 33 in 2019, 31 in 2020, and 47 in 2021.
Tony Pollard, on the other hand, Elliott’s backup, has been far more explosive in that category. In 2019, Pollard’s first season in the league, his longest run of the season was 44 yards. The following season, Pollard’s longest run went for 42 yards. This past year, Pollard darted up the middle for 58 yards on the ground for his longest run.
The Dallas Cowboys should be all about big play ability. At this stage in his career, Elliott simply isn’t capable of doing it. Fans have grown tired of watching the declining back rush for two and three yards. With the loss of Amari Cooper, the Cowboys need more big plays on the ground, and Elliott simply isn’t able to do that anymore.
