Dallas Cowboys: 4 players whose stock rose Week 3, and 2 who fell

Dallas Cowboys Stock Down: The idea of Kellen Moore staying in Dallas post-2021

Three games into 2021 and we’ve seen three unique game plans for the Cowboys’ offense. It’s a big departure for a team that spent the better part of the last decade trying to run one cohesive offense, regardless of their available personnel or the situation.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has shown a willingness to adapt and innovate and the Cowboys are better off for it. With a mostly healthy offense under his guidance, Dak Prescott and company have been explosive and dominant. In fact, Moore has been so impressive on the sidelines, you have to wonder how much longer he is going to end up calling plays in Dallas.

If I am being 100% honest, the only area I have any real concerns about Moore is with his red-zone play calling. For whatever reason, everything just gets harder for him down there, and we saw a little bit of that Monday night. Outside of that, this is guy is as good as it gets.

If things keep going the way they are going, then teams are going to be pounding down Moore’s door as soon as they can to interview him for their head coaching vacancies. After he publicly filtered with his alma mater Boise State until Jerry opened up the checkbook in January, it’s only a matter of time before he’s offered the chance to run an NFL team.

I want the Cowboys to find a way to keep Kellen Moore in Dallas, but it’s going to be difficult. For now, let’s just enjoy the ride.

Dallas Cowboys Stock Up: RB, Ezekiel Elliott

Wait a minute, I thought Ezekiel Elliott was washed up? At least that’s what people on Twitter keep telling me. Well, reports of Dallas’ All-Pro running back’s demise might be greatly exaggerated.

On Monday night Elliott ran around AT&T Stadium looking like vintage Zeke. The veteran back didn’t just feed, he absolutely feasted, earning the hard yards all night and in every phase of the game.

Zeke finished with 95 yards rushing and two touchdowns, adding another 21 receiving yards. After effectively splitting touches with Tony Pollard in Week 2, Elliott outpaced him 20 touches to 12 this time around. He even went over 100 scrimmage yards for the 45th time in his career, which is now the fourth-most in Cowboys history. 

Despite his lackluster rushing totals in the first two weeks, Ezekiel Elliott has found a way to contribute meaningful snaps for the Cowboys all season so far. I am not saying that Elliott is all of a sudden going to look like the 2018 version of himself, but this was a great game from him that showed he still has plenty of gas left in the tank.

Whether it’s blocking, receiving, or rushing, he’s shown he’s willing to step up and contribute however he’s asked this year. This week, it just happened to look a lot like classic Zeke.

I fully expect that we will see more Tony Pollard going forward, but it’s great to see that Zeke can still produce. Better yet, having two running backs who complement each other the way that Pollard and Elliott do is great news for the Cowboys and gives them plenty of options for how to attack opposing defenses.