Cowboys owner Jerry Jones provides update on Ezekiel Elliott's role with franchise

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has expressed his faith in running back Ezekiel Elliott, saying he expects him to play a big role in the 2022-23 season.

Elliott is among the NFL’s premier running backs. He has rushed for over 1,000 yards in four of his six seasons in the league. In three of those seasons, he rushed for over 1,300 yards.

Elliott's numbers have, however, fallen off, especially compared to his massive rookie season in which he accumulated 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns. The blame, however, can’t be placed solely on the running back.

A big part of a running back’s success is predicated on the line opening up running lanes and the Dallas Cowboys offensive line is not what it was in the 2016 season.

Jerry Jones, however, feels Elliott will be the lynchpin of the offense in the upcoming season.

"Seriously, Zeke's gotta be our feature, and he is our feature," he said on NFL Network. "We can feature him in a lot of different ways. ... It's critical that we make Zeke, because he's capable of being that, really the focus of what we're doing. Now then, Pollard, there's plenty of room for Pollard. There's plenty of room for Pollard when Zeke's in there."

Ezekiel Elliott will be the focus of the Cowboys offense, as Tony Pollard takes on a larger role in the passing game

Washington Football Team v Dallas Cowboys

The team has already stated its plans for Tony Pollard to play a larger role in the passing game. The running back has great hands and could give a big boost to the offense in the same way Deebo Samuel did for the San Francisco 49ers last season.

The Cowboys aren’t in the toughest division in the NFL by any stretch, but could be posed a bit of a challenge. The Philadelphia Eagles have made great moves over the offseason. The biggest was acquiring wide receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans.

The New York Giants will welcome back star running back Saquon Barkley, while the Washington Commanders brought in quarterback Carson Wentz to lead their offense.

Ezekiel Elliott may not get back to the level he showcased in his rookie season, but the team clearly intends on running the offense through him in order to set up the passing game for success. If he can consistently play at a decent level, the Cowboys will fancy their chances of a deep postseason run.

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