The Dallas Cowboys went into their Week 9 bye week with a dominant performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 8, winning 49-29. They are now preparing to head on the road to face off with the Green Bay Packers in Week 10 and some people are wondering if they will have running back Ezekiel Elliott back in the mix for the game.
Elliott missed the team’s game against the Bears with a knee injury and it was believed that he would return following the bye. While not practicing Monday was seen as concerning by some, it sounds like that was all part of the plan.
During an appearance on 105.3 The Fan, Jerry Jones provided an update on the status of the team’s starting running back. According to Jones, he believes Elliott will be healthy enough to go and is anticipating him being on the field.
Following practice on Wednesday is when the Cowboys will release their first injury report of the week and we will get a better idea of Elliott’s status heading into the weekend. While Jones is optimistic about Elliott returning to the field, a strong argument could be made that the Cowboys are better off without him.
Elliott has carried the ball 109 times, plodding his way to 443 yards and four touchdowns. He has been a non-factor in the passing game, catching only six passes for 32 yards. He has been splitting time with Tony Pollard, who has shown on a weekly basis that he is the more explosive option.
Filling in for Elliott against the Bears, Pollard had a monster game. He carried the ball 14 times for 131 yards, scoring three touchdowns in the process. He caught his one target for 16 yards as he dominated Chicago despite playing only 31 snaps.
On the season, Pollard has carried the ball 81 times, yet has outgained Elliott with 506 yards for an impressive 6.2 yards per carry. His passing game usage has been trending downward as well, catching 12 passes for 121 yards.
Could the Cowboys be saving Pollard for later on in the season? Whatever their reasoning is for distributions of touches, the coaching staff needs to get Pollard more involved in the offense as he is by far the more productive runner.
