Running backs are a dime a dozen. Most of them anyway. After cashing in on a $90 million extension (first reported by David Moore of the Dallas Morning News on Twitter) Ezekiel Elliott has proven that there’s still room in the NFL for paying elite level running backs. Elliott is worth every single penny of his new contract.
A lot of the offseason discussion around the Cowboys involved the contract negotiations. I think the thing people forgot is that Dallas is SCREWED without Elliott. He’s the one back in the NFL where he makes the entire offense go. We have seen it first hand. Elliott isn’t just putting up number, he’s determining the outcome of games.
During the 6 game stretch that Zeke was suspended, Dak was awful, by the way. Prescott threw 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. He also threw for under 220 yards in 5 of the 6 games. In 2018, Elliott rushed for over 100 yards in 7 games. Dallas was 6-1 in those games. Elliott also received at least 19 carries in 8 games. Dallas went 7-1 in those games too. Overall, Dallas is 16-3 in games where Elliott records 100 rushing yards or more. When Elliott hits 19 carries in a game, the Cowboys are 22-6. Hey, you go ahead and trade him. I’ve seen what Dak Prescott is without Ezekiel Elliott. I just want to see what Elliott is with an elite quarterback.
Dallas has a real formula. Give the ball to Zeke and bleed the clock. Dallas wins when they do they. It’s when they forget about Zeke. That’s when they lose. In fact, Elliott is so important that Dallas should hire a coach on the sidelines just to track the number of carries he gets in the game to make sure he’s on pace for 20.
Elliott has led the league in rushing yards per game in every single year he’s been in the NFL. He led the league in rushing two of the past 3 years. The only year he didn’t was the year he got suspended. Dallas didn’t have a choice here. They had to pay him. Elliott is the best running back in football and the one back that changes outcomes of games. There’s an exception to every rule. Elliott is that and he’s worth every penny of the new $90 million extension.
