It goes without saying that the Dallas Cowboys are coming off a disappointing 2017 campaign. At the forefront of their issues was the mediocre performance of quarterback Dak Prescott.

There are plenty of reasons that attributed to Prescott's sophomore slump. He said, during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, that the loss of running back Ezekiel Elliott played a major part:

“I found out a lot about myself last year and it wasn't pretty necessarily. Losing a great running back like Ezekiel Elliott looking back on it maybe I was trying to do too much and make big plays sometimes where the year before I took what the defense gave me.”

There is certainly plenty of truth to Prescott's comments.

The two formed one of the most lethal scoring attacks in the league during the 2016 NFL season. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year was actually enjoying a solid season with “Zeke” still in the lineup. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse the moment Elliott was forced to finally serve his suspension.

The absence of their workhorse back was felt immediately the offense as they failed to score a single touchdown for the next three games. With no legitimate rushing attack, the pressure fell on Prescott to shoulder the load and he was clearly unable to do so after tossing five interceptions during that span.

Fortunately, Dallas now has the luxury of returning a hungry Elliott to the backfield. This means Prescott could finally get back to the more conventional approach he took during his rookie season.