‘Not Good Enough To Be Cowboys’ #1 RB’, Ezekiel Elliott’s Re-Signing by Jerry Jones Faces Backlash From NFL Analyst

In August 2023, free agent Ezekiel Elliott announced on social media that he was signing with the New England Patriots. Ezekiel Elliott was released by the Cowboys in March as part of a salary cap move after he spent the first seven years of his career with Dallas. During his stay with the Patriots, the professional witnessed team-leading 642 yards. However, now, a year later, the Cowboys are willing to take back the 28-year-old running back who had three Pro Bowls and 68 TDs to his name during the Cowboys tenure.

Dallas who were already in search of a good candidate for the position ‘Zeke’ left might have as well found it in a familiar face. While many have nodded their heads to this resigning, one familiar NFL analyst has come forth with a strong “I don’t think he’s good enough to be a starting running back.” Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott agreed to a contract on Monday that allowed the running back to make his Dallas comeback but it has caused a massive stir in the NFL world.

Is Ezekiel Elliott not good enough to be a starter?

The former Ohio Buckeyes’ season with the Patriots was arguably the worst in his career. Elliott averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. In the October 2023 game when the Cowboys won against the Patriots, posting a score of 38-3, Zeke ran 6 times for 16 yards for New England. Till now, his maiden season remains his best in the NFL. These below-average statistics are one reason some feel Ezekiel Elliott is not fit to be a starting running back for the Cowboys, with senior NFL analyst Greg Cosell being one.

Appearing on the Ross Tucker Podcast, Greg Cosell said, “Yeah, I don’t think he’s good enough to be a starting running back quite frankly based on what I saw last year and you could argue even when you saw his final year in Dallas. You do look at their depth chart and that’s a pretty significant concern going into the season.”  The NFL analyst did not completely shut down the possibility of Ezekiel Elliott turning around things for the Cowboys. Nonetheless, he did not agree with the notion that Ezekiel Elliott could be RB1.

According to Greg Cosell, “I can’t imagine, I just can’t imagine that they would go into the season with the idea that Zeke Elliott is their number one running back and is going to get a significant number of carries as their primary back.” His take is opposite to that of the Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who feels Zeke could be a starter for his team.

Cowboys RB has Jerry Jones’ vote of confidence

On Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft, Jerry Jones expressed his interest in Ezekiel Elliott. As per Jon Machota of The Athletic, Jones said he believed Zeke could be a starter in the NFL. “As recent as the end of the year, I saw Zeke play and I’ll tell you, he’s good enough to be a starter,” the billionaire said. The Cowboys’ owner, while addressing his running backs room, did not seem that keen on picking an RB during the draft.

During the press conference, he said, “And it was a long time before a running back was taken in today’s draft. But we also are keenly interested in seeing what the future might look like with Zeke.” It seems Jerry Jones completed his wish to see Elliott play for the Cowboys again. With Tony Pollard, who replaced Ezekiel in 2023, not meeting the expectations, the void in the Cowboys’ running back room is huge. Hopefully, Ezekiel Elliott will be able to prove the naysayers wrong and bring about some much-needed change.