4 Cowboys who were a total disappointment in 2022
By Randy Gurzi
1. Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back
Don’t let the touchdowns fool you, Ezekiel Elliott was a liability in 2022 and there wasn’t any area of the game where he outperformed Tony Pollard.
Even so, the Cowboys continued to start Elliott and even allowed him to hog the glory once they were near the goal line. In his seventh NFL season, Zeke had a career-worst 876 yards while averaging just 3.8 yards per attempt. He also had a career-low in receptions and yards with 17 for 92, while finishing with no touchdown receptions for the first time.
Even so, Elliott had 12 touchdowns on the ground and even boasted a streak of nine weeks straight with a score. But of course, the majority of his touchdowns were short-yardage and could have been scored just as easily by Pollard, who had a breakout campaign.
https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1608638643656065026?s=20&t=BlKqEqcVA_rTXb-rMu7unQ
Pollard, who finally got consistent touches, finished with 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground as well as 371 yards and three touchdown receptions. He averaged 5.2 yards per attempt, which is the third time in four seasons he was above five yards per rush.
He was the main catalyst for this offense when they needed a spark and that was highlighted when he was injured against the 49ers and Elliott was held in check — easily.
Dallas has to decide at this point if it’s even worth keeping Elliott around due to his inflated contract. While he’s said he’s open to renegotiating, they’re going to have a hard time re-signing Pollard while paying Elliott even half of what he’s owed.
On top of that, he’s clearly becoming a progress stopper since they’re refusing to get a better compliment for Pollard while feeding Zeke the easy scores in a cheap attempt to justify his comical salary. Although, the salary isn’t as laughable as what could end up being his final snap with America’s Team.
