The Dallas Cowboys had one of the most intriguing storylines of the NFL offseason. Running back Ezekiel Elliott threatened a holdout if he didn't receive a contract extension, and seemed ready to make good on his threat.
Instead of showing up at training camp, Elliott trained alone in Cabo, Mexico. When he signed his extension and came back to the team, there was, of course, questions about his conditioning. Elliott spoke to the media and assured that he was ready for a full workload come Week 2.
Ezekiel Elliott said the pain was “tolerable,” after last week’s opener but noted he did not play as much as normal. He said he is prepared to do more as he gets ready for Washington in Week 2. “I think I’m ready now for a normal workload. Just depends… https://t.co/t3QG5xcIpt
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) September 11, 2019
While this may seem insignificant, it's great news for Dallas. Conditioning is a crucial component to staying healthy, and an injury to their star running back would be disastrous. The entire Cowboys offense runs through Elliott.
Without him, Dallas goes from a real Super Bowl contender to a team on the fringe of a wild card spot. Many people will dispute this, saying that Elliott is another replaceable running back. It's simply not true. Defenses are forced to drop safeties down into the tackle box to stop Elliott. This opens up the passing game for quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott isn't talented enough to take on defenses that aren't playing the run game first.
While the general opinion is that Elliott's impact is easily found, it just doesn't make sense. He's earned multiple rushing titles, and constantly fights through the first tackle. Although rookie running back Tony Pollard may be capable; he's nowhere near Elliott's skill level. Elliott is a big part of what makes the Cowboys a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
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