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Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott entered the league together, but the former's clock is ticking faster than that of the latter. That is at least what one NFL analyst implied while speaking on his talk show.
On the Rich Eisen Show, host Rich Eisen said it was time to start handing off Elliot's torch.
"Let's stop messing around. Let's stop messing around. Why can't we get Zeke going to start the game? Okay, let's get Zeke going to start the game. And then he gives Zeke a little bit of a rest. But you get power in there or get Pollard in there when Zeke's in there."
He continued, calling for the backup to get the ball at least 15 times per game.
"That guy Pollard should be touching the ball 15 times a game. And if he doesn't touch it 15 times a game, there is some penalty of some sort. No soup for you. I don't know what it is... Got to do something where this guy touches it 15 times a game. It's time."
Ezekiel Elliot's sliding career
Despite all of the criticism mounting against Ezekiel Elliot, his surface-level statline since joining the Cowboys has been quite consistent.
Since joining the team in 2016, the running back's least-productive season came in 2020, when he earned 979 yards and six touchdowns. In total, he's only had two seasons in which he's earned fewer than 1000 yards.
He's had three seasons in which he's earned at least 1,350 yards. Of course, detractors would be the first to say that he's failed to hit a new peak since his rookie season in 2016. In that season, he earned 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns. According to Pro Football Reference, the running back was drafted fourth overall.
Rich Eisen says it is time to start moving on before the running back turns 27. Put simply, after just six years, the NFL analyst has implied that the running back's prime is over. Most recently, in 2021, Elliot earned 1,002 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns.
While Elliot's total numbers appear to be in order, his average yards per game has been on a linear downslope every year since his rookie year. In 2016, he earned 108.7 yards per game.
By 2019, it had dropped to 84.8 yards per game. By 2021, his average had dropped all the way to 58.9 yards per game, roughly half of his rookie totals. Will the Dallas Cowboys listen to Eisen?
If you use any of the above quotes, please credit The Rich Eisen Show and H/T Sportskeeda.
