The Dallas Cowboys are dealing with some interior turmoil as one of their offensive weapons is unhappy with his role.
Dallas enters the weekend 3-2 on the season in what has been far from a perfect season so far. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott has looked mediocre at times, and Dallas’ offense in general hasn’t been clicking on an elite level. Thankfully for the Cowboys, there’s a lot of season left.
One Cowboys player who hopes to make more contributions the rest of the way is RB2 Ezekiel Elliott. However, the 29-year-old running back will need more touches to do so, a dilemma that has bothered him of late.
According to Cowboys beat writer Clarence Hill Jr., Elliott recently spoke with Dallas’ coaching staff about his lack of involvement.
“Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott confirmed he has talked to the coaches about his role and remains dumbfounded by his lack of opportunities at least as red zone back,” Hill said.
Bleacher Report’s Paul Kasabian expanded on HIll’s report with some analysis of Elliott’s performance this season.
“Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has only amassed 14 touches over the past three weeks, or eight fewer than backfield mate Rico Dowdle had in one game Sunday in a 20-17 road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Kasabian said.
“Elliott has rushed for a career-low 3.3 yards per carry (98 yards on 30 carries). He's also caught just six passes for 36 yards.”
“The fact of the matter is Elliott is not as efficient as he once was. His yards per carry has dipped from 4.2 in 2021 to 3.8 in 2022 to 3.5 in 2023 (with the New England Patriots) and now 3.3.”
It remains to be seen whether Dallas will feature Elliott in the gameplan more in response to his complaints.
The Cowboys host the 3-1 Detroit Lions this Sunday.
