The Dallas Cowboys are truly in a “do or die” situation as they prepare for the 2024 NFL season. Head coach Mike McCarthy is a lame duck as owner Jerry Jones declined to discuss a possible contract extension after their loss to the Green Bay Packers in the 2023 NFL Playoffs. If McCarthy cannot guide the Cowboys to a deep run in the postseason, he will be looking for a new job in 2025.
Three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Dak Prescott, too, is in the final year of his contract. While Dallas does want to re-sign him, questions about his ability to help them win their first Super Bowl in nearly 30 years remain. There is no question that the Cowboys are more likely to extend Prescott than they are McCarthy, and a deal can certainly get done yet this summer, but he will have a great deal to prove either way with his 2-5 playoff record.
The Dallas Cowboys Reunited with Running Back Ezekiel Elliott
Last season, the Cowboys’ leading rusher was Tony Pollard, who had 1,005 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Pollard, though, signed with the Tennessee Titans during the offseason, leaving Dallas without a starting running back.
In an effort to replace him, Dallas decided to reunite with Ezekiel Elliott. While playing with the New England Patriots last year, Elliott had 642 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Elliott, of course, was a dynamic runner in Dallas for seven seasons before the two sides decided to part ways at the end of 2022. During his first stint with the Cowboys, Elliott eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards four times and won the NFL rushing title twice. His 8,262 yards in a Dallas uniform rank third in franchise history behind Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett.
Can the Dallas Cowboys Really Rely on Ezekiel Elliott to Be a Productive Running Back?
In a recent article posted on Bleacher Report, NFL analyst Alex Kay identifies the most overrated player in the NFL at each position. For running back, he identified Elliott:
“It’s worth noting that Elliott is fresh off a career-worst season with the New England Patriots in 2023. He finished with only 642 yards and three touchdowns on 184 carries.
“While Elliott is due to make only $2 million in 2024—a far cry from the six-year, $90 million deal he signed with Dallas in 2019—he’s still projected to play a significant role this season.
“He isn’t likely to face much competition from unproven backups like Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn or journeyman free-agent pickup Royce Freeman, which means the Cowboys are poised to feature the NFL’s most overrated running back as their starter.”
While Kay’s concerns are valid, it is worth noting that Elliott only played 51% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps last season. That was the fewest amount of snaps he played in his career. As the starting running back in Dallas, he is surely to play more, which will (hopefully) lead to more production.
But Elliott is entering his age 29 season and his career has already lasted longer than those of most running backs. Last season, as well as 2022, could have been the beginning of the end for Elliott’s production. If it is, Dallas could be in big trouble.
The Dallas Cowboys Were Named the Best Fit for Free Agent Running Back Kareem Hunt
The fact of the matter is that their is a big question at the running back position in Dallas. If McCarthy is to keep his job and Prescott is to be worth whatever monster salary he gets, the Cowboys need to add a little insurance at the running back position.
In a different article on Bleacher Report, NFL writer Kristopher Knox suggests that Dallas would be the best landing spot for former Pro Bowl running back Kareem Hunt:
“While he averaged just 3.0 yards per carry, Hunt recorded 135 rushes, tallied 495 scrimmage yards and found the end zone nine times. He’ll turn 29 in August, but he can still serve as a high-end short-yardage or goal-line back who isn’t a liability on passing downs. After playing on a one-year, $1.4 million deal in 2023, Hunt should also be an affordable late addition.
“Teams staring down a questionable backfield committee entering the summer should think long and hard about adding Hunt.
“Hunt would be a solid insurance addition behind Gus Edwards and the oft-injured J.K. Dobbins for the Los Angeles Chargers. He’d make a lot of sense for the Dallas Cowboys too, who are set to rely on Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Royce Freeman.”
Obviously, neither Hunt nor Elliott are sure-fire starting running backs at this point in their careers. Jones may think Elliott is, but he has been wrong about things more often than not during the Cowboys’ long Super Bowl drought.
A duo of Elliott and Hunt, however, could be a great addition to McCarthy’s offense (and help him save his job).
