When Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott received his six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy, it was unclear whether he'd still participate in the preseason. The suspension only applies to the regular season, so Elliott has been available.
For awhile, it seemed like the Cowboys might keep Elliott out of action for the duration of the four-game slate, but ahead of this Saturday's matchup with the Oakland Raiders, head coach Jason Garrett said the plan is for Zeke to get some carries.
According to ESPN's Todd Archer, Elliott played with the first-team offense against the scout team on Wednesday. Ahead of Dallas' preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts last week, Elliott did not take those snaps.
Garrett elaborated on the plan for Elliott in what will likely be his only appearance of the preseason. Transcribed by Kevin Patra of NFL.com:
“The biggest thing is having the mindset of preparing him for Week 1 of the season, and that's the approach we've taken,” Garrett said. “He got a number of more reps in training camp than he did last year. If you remember he had the hamstring injury last year, ended up playing in the second-to-last preseason game and got 8, 10, 12 snaps in that ballgame. So that is the approach we've taken with him and anything beyond that we'll take as it comes.”
After Saturday's game ends, it's unclear when exactly we'll see Elliott back on the field. He officially appealed his suspension last week, and the first hearing is scheduled to take place on August 29th.