Zeke’s Holdout

Ezekiel Elliott (Zeke) is the running back for the Dallas Cowboys (America’s Team LOL). He was selected with the 4th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Despite his off the field issues, he is regarded as one of the league’s rising stars. He has led the league in rushing yards per game since entering the league in 2016. He has been All-Pro, and invited to the Pro Bowl twice in his three years in the league. While he is still on his rookie contract, he has made the decision (or his agent has) that he isn’t getting paid enough. Admittedly, he has been among the league’s best, and he just saw what happened to Le’Veon Bell, so it is not a complete surprise that he feels he needs the new deal now. The shelf life of Running Backs in the NFL is short and due to the position’s demands they take the most hits per play of any skill position (non-lineman). Zeke is also a more “contact seeking” back than most in the league. He is the centerpiece of the Dallas offense, and they need him to bring their Super Bowl aspirations into reality.

Zeke’s holdout is troubling to the Cowboys but it has given other players the opportunity to show that they deserve to be the primary back with Elliott out of the mix. There are 3 players behind Zeke on the depth chart. Two rookies, Tony Pollard and Mike Weber, Pollard being more of a speedy receiving back, and Weber being more of a pure runner with less versatility. The third back is the new signee, Alfred Morris, who has been with the Cowboys before and performed admirably. The recent report out of camp is that Pollard is electric, and is impressing the coaches and players at Cowboys training camp. This sounds like something to be ignored however, because if he was doing so well why sign Morris in the first place. I think Morris will most likely take some of the early down work with Pollard coming in on third down, and in pass catching situations. Weber will most likely rotate in a little bit but I think Pollard’s role as a pass catcher is safe, meaning that Morris and Weber will be competing for early down work.

I know this post is getting pretty long, but as a final thought I just want to make it clear why all of this matters. Zeke before the holdout was going in the top 2 picks of most leagues fantasy drafts. Typically, you were either taking Zeke or Saquon Barkley, both are young, talented and projected for an immense workload (the fantasy trifecta). So, having Zeke is great, but also he is running behind one of the best lines in the NFL. The Cowboys line has been good since Zeke got into the league and he has rewarded them with his stellar stats. Zeke has now publicly stated that he will not play without a new contract, so there is a good chance he misses some regular season time. I do believe however, that he comes back towards the end of Preseason. He loves being a Cowboy, and Jerry Jones can’t afford to put the season into Dak Prescott’s hands. If he misses more than 3 games this season, due to this holdout, the Cowboys will struggle to make the playoffs let alone the Super Bowl.