It seems like almost everyone was crazy, crazy high on Ezekiel Elliott a few years ago, and it now seems like almost everyone is... not as high on Ezekiel Elliott.
There's reason for that, too. His 2020 counting stats were on the lower side of the spectrum in terms of his career production, and if you attribute that to the total health of the Cowboys, his career-low PFF rating of 65.3 in 2020 shows that you have to pin some of the blame on him, so long as you're an analytics person. Tony Pollard's emergence has also been an important factor in making Cowboys fans scratch their heads about who the lead guy should be in that Dallas backfield. And then there were those — or that one person — who called Zeke a "poster child" for why offensive lines matter more than running backs.
Related
Listen to Dallas sports talk now on Audacy and shop the latest Cowboys team gear
And that's kind of the way Zeke's career trajectory has gone to this point. However, 2021 holds a whole lot of promise for a bounce-back campaign for the soon-to-be 26-year old — you can hear more about that in the video at the top of the page — and one particularly bold quote from an anonymous NFL coach seems to back up that hype.
"They need to give Zeke some of Dak's money," an AFC defensive coach told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler (h/t Mike Chiari of Bleacher Report). "He scares you the most on that offense."
Apparently not everyone is down on Zeke, then, saying that he deserves some of Prescott's four-year, $160 million contract extension that was signed between the star quarterback and the Cowboys this year. But the most dangerous weapon on the offense? If he can, in fact, live up to that title, the Dallas offense will be as difficult to stop as ever. Outdoing not only Prescott but the aforementioned Pollard, in addition to the incredibly talented receiving corps of Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb, is a very tall order.
Related
If there's one believer that Zeke can do all of these things, it might be Prescott himself. In June, the quarterback raved about his backfield partner.
"Zeke looks great," Prescott said, via the Dallas Morning News (h/t NFL.com) . "He's in the best shape of his life. Looking fast. Everybody's seen the clips of him working out independently with his running back coach. His cuts, just how explosive he is. Excited to have a full year with him again and getting him healthy throughout the whole season."
Related
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram