OXNARD, Calif. — No guaranteed money in Ezekiel ElliottWith the contract running past 2022, many are wondering if this is his last year with the Dallas Cowboys.
Elliott is not one of those wondering.
“I think it’s a great season, but I think you can’t look too far ahead,” Elliott said. “I think if I focus on every day, if I focus on having a good day at camp, if I focus on taking it week to week, I think it will all take care of itself. And I don’t think there’s really a reason to watch.” so far down the road. I think if I run my business every day, I’ll be in a pretty good situation at the end of the season.”
Elliott’s $12.4 million base salary is fully guaranteed as part of the $90 million extension he signed in 2019. The Cowboys have an easier path financially to letting him go in 2023 because there is no more money guaranteed in his contract. He is scheduled to earn $10.9 million in 2023.
Elliott’s carrying average per game has dropped each season, from 108.7 yards per game in 2016, his rookie year, to 58.9 in 2021.
One of the main reasons for the crash last year was a partially torn posterior ligament in his right knee, which he suffered in the fourth game of the season. Elliott was on pace for more than 1,500 yards in the first five games of last season with five touchdowns. He topped 69 yards just once in the last 12 games and finished with 1,002 yards and 10 touchdowns on 237 carries.
For more than a month, he wore a bulky knee brace for added protection as the injury limited his flare.
“It was definitely frustrating and definitely frustrating certain parts of the year, but it’s football,” Elliott said. “I think today might be the one day that everyone is going to be 100%. From now on, everyone is going to have a couple of bumps and bruises and nobody is going to be 100, so I’m going to try to do everything I can off the field to make sure.” to preserve my health and be ready for Sundays.
Elliott never considered missing a game. He has only missed one game in his career due to injury.
“Top on the list in terms of his redeeming qualities and there are a lot of players you see around the league that if things don’t go right, they’ll sit down. That’s not Zeke,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said. “He wants to be there for his team, his teammates and I really admire that and what 21 is. One thing is for sure: we’re going to get 21’s best effort, week in and week out. And he’s a great 21 player. football”.
Elliott admitted some concern that the knee wasn’t healing fast enough after the season ended, but surgery was never an option.
“I was a little worried at the beginning of the season, like, ‘Hell, this still feels a little iffy,'” Elliott said. “But I’ll say probably a month or two into the offseason, a month or two back to work, and I’ll say probably by the time the OTAs roll in, I was back 100.”
Elliott was able to work out with his personal trainer, Josh Hicks, before training camp.
“It’s hard to be injured and feel like you miss a step,” Elliott said. “So it definitely helped me get back to moving at the speed that I was used to and get that self-confidence back, back in my body, back in my mind that I could make those cuts.”
With Elliott and Tony Pollard, the Cowboys believe they have one of the best running back tandems in the NFL. Pollard had a career-high 719 yards on 130 carries last year. He also caught 39 passes for 337 yards, which has led some to call for a more even split of touches.
Pollard and Elliott could see more action on the field together this year, as the Cowboys look to replace some of wide receiver Amari Cooper’s production in different ways. But Elliott will remain a key figure.
“Zeke Elliott is one of our pillars on this team,” McCarthy said. “He’s a key player. The communication, his ability to do all the little extra things and those are things that I can obviously watch and am a part of. The extra work that he puts in before and after practice, on Tuesdays, I mean that he’s at the quarterback meetings in the morning. The physical part of it: He overcame a lot to play and I think that says a lot about him and you need those kinds of guys to win championships.”