After losing Tony Pollard to the Tennessee Titans during free agency, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones chose not to shell out any significant money to bring in a high-caliber replacement like Derrick Henry or J.K. Dobbins.
Instead, Jones opted to re-sign Ezekiel Elliott, who was drafted fourth overall by the Cowboys in 2016 and made three Pro Bowls in his initial run with Dallas, which ended with his release following the 2022 campaign. After spending last season with the New England Patriots, Zeke was brought back on a one-year deal.
Jones also chose to hand out a second straight one-year deal to Rico Dowdle, who has been with the organization since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
With all due respect, a 1-2 punch of Elliott and Dowdle didn't exactly give fans of America's Team much hope for a great year on the ground. And for most of the season, that's how things played out, as Dallas had one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL.
Elliott has been nothing short of a disaster. After rushing for 40 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' season-opening win over the Cleveland Browns, the Ohio State alum failed to crack 20 yards in any of the five games that followed.
And not long after he was suspended for a game in early November for disciplinary reasons, Zeke had his "lead back" status stripped as Mike McCarthy wanted to give more touches to Dowdle.
That decision, of course, has worked out wonderfully, as Dowdle has been on fire as of late, even making some NFL history over the last three weeks with a trio of 100-plus-yard performances.
As such, Elliott's touches have dropped dramatically, which is actually costing him a chance at some history of his own.
Ezekiel Elliott is two scores shy of becoming just the 28th player in NFL history with 75 career rushing TDs
While Elliott has just two rushing touchdowns on the season, the first coming against the Browns in Week 1 and the second coming against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8, the ninth-year veteran has an impressive 73 for his career.
Simple math tells us that he needs just two more to reach 75, a number that only 27 others have reached over the course of 100-plus years of NFL history. So, it's a big deal.
But with Dowdle doing what he's been doing, Elliott likely won't get the chance to reach this milestone. Following his 10-carry effort against the Niners, Zeke logged just 13 total carries in his next five outings.
He did carry the ball nine times last Sunday in the Cowboys' win over the Panthers, but the vast majority of those came in the second half when the outcome had already been decided, with five alone coming on the final drive when Dallas was simply trying to run out the clock.
As the Cowboys aren't likely to blow out any of their final three opponents, one wouldn't think Elliott will see the field all that much. And given his overall performance this year (or lack thereof), one has to wonder if this will be his last NFL season.
If Zeke finishes his career with the same 73 rushing touchdowns he has now, it'll still be a remarkable number. But one would think he knows where he's at and would love to get to 75.
It's just that Dowdle is standing in his way. And with Rico looking to score a new contract, whether with the Cowboys or not, it stands to reason that he wouldn't want to give up any touches down by the goal line.