Last year, when the Dallas Cowboys hosted the New England Patriots early in the season, running back Ezekiel Elliott shared emotional embraces with his former Cowboys teammates as he got started on a one-year journey playing for another team.
On Sunday, Zeke returns to AT&T Stadium with a Star on his helmet. It'll be a homecoming game for the former No. 4 overall pick but also an opportunity to reach a unique career milestone: 9,000 career rushing yards.
Sitting at 8,944 in his ninth year in the NFL, Elliott needs 56 rushing yards against the New Orleans Saints to hit the mark in Week 2.
Although reaching the milestone won't immortalize Elliott or earn him a direct ticket into the Hall of Fame, he'll be just the 40th running back in history to get there. He and Derrick Henry would be the only active players with as much mileage.
Although 56 rushing yards is a totally realistic mark to hit in a single game, it's easier said than done in a committee like the one the Cowboys are running. In Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, Zeke got 40. However, head coach Mike McCarthy noted how the team's third down woes kept them from running as much as they would've liked. Additionally, it's slowly becoming clearer and clearer that this team views Elliott as RB1.
"It felt good to be out there, especially with the star on my helmet," Elliott told reporters postgame in Week 1. "It was a great team win. I wish the offense finished a little stronger, but it is always first to get that first away win, and we can keep building on that."
Elliott is also pursuing Tony Dorsett in the Cowboys' running back all-time total touchdowns rankings. Dorsett sits at second with 86 behind Emmitt Smith (164), with Elliott trailing him by five (81). Considering how the team views Zeke, that's another reachable mark as they're expected to hand him the ball in red zone situations pretty frequently.
