The Dallas Cowboys may have invested in Ezekiel Elliott with the hope his veteran presence and smashmouth nature would revitalize their running game. Not only did they fail to add an impactful player, but they also seem to have run into a problem with regards to the effort, or lack of same, Zeke is showing behind closed doors.
Elliott is mustering a lowly 3.1 yards per carry this season, paling in effectiveness to Rico Dowdle, but he has apparently been less than a model teammate off the field. As a result, the Cowboys made the decision to deactivate him before his team's duel against the Atlanta Falcons.
This is the first time in Elliott's career he has been a healthy scratch. On top of the fact that his production hasn't warranted a larger role in the offense, Zeke has shown a serious lack of commitment to a Cowboys team that is clearly struggling to get any sort of positive momentum going.
Elliott, per Jane Slater, has been described as "distracted" this season. Not only has been been habitually late to meetings, but he has missed three altogether, including an important one on Friday. Both parties seemingly decided a one-game suspension was warranted.
Ezekiel Elliott is a healthy scratch today. The first of his career. According to a number of sources, Elliott has been distracted this season. Aside from habitual tardiness, he’s missed three team meetings with Friday’s meeting the final straw. Both parties decided it was best…
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) November 3, 2024
Cowboys reason for benching Ezekiel Elliott finally revealed
Elliott has opened the door for a combination of Dowdle and Dalvin Cook, who was elevated from the practice squad, to take most of the carries. If that sounds underwhelming, that's because it is. Even against an inconsistent Atlanta defense, that unit lacks some serious talent.
Elliott may be running out of room in the NFL. While he was able to seemingly change his running style to become more of a plodding runner over the years, he has clearly lost a step. With age catching up to him and a strong running back draft class, it seems likely that Elliott could be playing his final season.
At the end of the day, talent always wins out in disputes like this. If Elliott looked like his younger self, these issues likely wouldn't come to a head. As he continues to struggle, however, the Cowboys have no choice but to make him an inactive player.