Ezekiel Elliott was the No. 1 rusher in the NFL, but he wasn’t the best. Ezekiel Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys’ running back, didn’t have the best season in 2021 despite being No. 1 rusher on the NFL. However, one former NFL general manger believes that he won’t be able to get back to his best.
Mike Tannenbaum, a former general manager of the Dolphins and Jets, stated Wednesday on ESPN’s Get Up that he does not believe the Cowboys should make Ezekiel their primary offense in 2022. He cited his declining rushing yards per games and stated that Ezekiel is “average at best” in this role.
“Zeke Elliott was yesterday’s news…” Tannenbaum said. “If they are running their offense through him, they are average at best.
This is a very harsh assessment. It’s not hard to believe that Elliott was not the same runner in 2021 or 2020 as he was in 2016, when he joined the NFL.
.@RealTannenbaum doesn't think the Cowboys should run their offense through Ezekiel Elliott this season.
"Zeke Elliott was yesterday's news. … If they are running their offense through him, they are average at best." pic.twitter.com/CtAgR32hXN
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 17, 2022
Ezekiel Elliott’s rushing yards have been just below 2,000 over the past two seasons. That’s four-hundred more than any other two-year period in his career.
His decreased touches could be a reason for his diminished effectiveness. Elliott had a career-low 13.9 yards per game last year, despite playing in 17 of his games. He split time with Tony Pollard.
Although Elliott could have been given fewer carries by the Cowboys because he didn’t get enough yards with those carries in the first few seasons, it is still true that Elliott hasn’t been as much as the “bell cow back” that they used him to be.
Elliott averaged 15 carries per week over the past two seasons, compared to the 20 he had during his first two seasons.
Is Mike Tannenbaum right?