The Dallas Cowboys are making a change in their running back room -- at least for this week.
Ezekiel Elliott did not travel with the team to Atlanta for its road Week 9 game against the Falcons and is inactive for the game due to "disciplinary" reasons, per CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones. "It was in everyone's best interest [Elliott] not accompany the team this weekend," Jones wrote on X.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys elevated Dalvin Cook from the practice squad for the second consecutive week. Elliott is a healthy scratch for the first time on Sunday. The reason for the scratch is the running back being disgruntled with his lack of involvement in the offense, losing snaps to both Rico Dowdle and now Cook. Per NFL Media, Elliott has been "distracted" and regularly late to meetings. He has reportedly missed three meetings this season including one on Friday, which was "the final straw."
After losing 2023 starter Tony Pollard to the Tennessee Titans in free agency, the Cowboys signed Elliott to resume his role in the backfield. They had cut him the previous offseason to get off of the enormous salary-cap hit that resulted from the disastrous six-year, $90 million extension to which they signed him back in 2019.
The monster deal preceded Elliott's precipitous decline from being one of the very best running backs in the NFL to one who was consistently out-played by his backup (Pollard). He spent one unproductive year with the New England Patriots before Dallas elected to bring him back.
The Cowboys also signed veteran free agent Royce Freeman during the offseason, then elected not to take a running back in what was considered a very deep 2024 draft class. They signed Cook to the practice squad toward the tail end of training camp after cutting ties with Freeman. The two veterans then joined Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn in the team's backfield.
Elliott began the season as the starter but was so ineffective that he quickly gave way to Dowdle as the lead back. He has continued to get snaps over the last several weeks, but has averaged a career-low 3.1 yards per rush. Among the 63 players with at least 40 carries this season, Elliott ranks 61st in yards per attempt, 57th in rushing success rate, 53rd in the share of runs that gained five or more yards and dead last in explosive-run rate (0.0%).
Cook was elevated from the practice squad last week for the first time this season and operated as the No. 2 back behind Elliott after Dowdle surprisingly missed the game with an illness. Cook did not look anything like the star player he used to be in Minnesota, toting the rock six times for just 12 yards.
The ineffectiveness of Dallas' backfield throughout the season was entirely foreseeable after the team neglected to sign or draft a single player who had recently displayed that he was still an NFL-caliber back. They have nobody to blame for this situation but themselves.
