Dallas Cowboys: Will Ezekiel Elliott become rushing champ again in 2018?

The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best running backs in the NFL in Ezekiel Elliott. After a shortened 2017 season, can Zeke become the rushing champion again in 2018?

When the Dallas Cowboys drafted Ezekiel Elliott back in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, there were some mixed opinions as some believed he was the absolute top choice to take with the fourth overall pick, and others thought defense was the name of the game.

In that first season, Elliott took full advantage of having one of the best offensive lines back in 2016 and led the league in rushing his rookie season with 1,631 yards on 322 carries. In averaging 5.1 yards per carry, Elliott made the Cowboys’ front office look like geniuses with their overall selection, as they won the NFC East championship that year as well.

What followed for the 2017 season were off-the-field issues that changed the entire complexion of the Cowboys’ season one year ago. Elliott did not play up to the level he did his rookie year, plus he eventually served a six-game suspension in the middle of the year as the NFL and the Cowboys battled in court for the final ruling that Zeke must serve the suspension.

Once that happened — though the Cowboys did gain some wins — the swagger of having Elliott in the backfield disappeared. That lack of swagger caused issues with the play of the offense, indirectly affecting the defense, leading to the Cowboys eventually missing the playoffs and not defending their NFC East championship successfully, finishing with a 9-7 overall record.

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So far, this offseason has been much quieter for Elliott, and that is most likely how the Cowboys prefer it to be. Gone is the court-ruled serving of the six-game suspension, the offensive line is a little revamped compared to last season and though the wide receivers aren’t as formidable as they were in the past, the bulk of the success of the Cowboys will be placed once again on the shoulders of Elliott.

That isn’t saying the Cowboys season isn’t make or break because of Elliott. However, if the Cowboys receivers don’t step up their game — and with the departure of the now-retired Jason Witten at tight end and with quarterback Dak Prescott still working on his game — the offense most certainly starts and ends with the success rate of Elliott, and it won’t be an easy task.

Looking at the 2017 season — even with the aforementioned six-game suspension — Elliott finished 10th in the NFL in carries with 242 and nearly had a 1,000-yard season at 983 yards, which was also 10th-best in the league. Elliott was also seventh in the NFL with seven rushing touchdowns and 21st in yards per carry at 4.1. One thing Elliott did lead the league in last season was rushing yards per game with 98.3, putting him ahead of second-place Todd Gurley, who had 87 yards per game in 15 games.

It is very understandable that opponents of the Cowboys might not be terrified of the wide receivers the Cowboys currently have on their roster, so they will most likely stack the box and make the wide receivers show them they should be covered with more emphasis. Elliott is a scary weapon to have on a roster, and even if teams decide to stack the box and bring more to stopping the rushing game, what Elliott has in front on him is a strong offensive line which, if healthy, can be one of the best, if not the best, in the NFL.

Elliott also has a quarterback in Prescott who is talented, but like the wide receivers, he will have to get back to his 2016 form to force defenses to game plan more for him as well. If Prescott and the wide receivers, who consist of Terrance Williams, Allen Hurns, rookie Michael Gallup, Deonte Thompson, Cole Beasley and Tavon Austin to name a few, show improvement, then Elliott can go back to the way things were in 2016 and lead the NFL in rushing for a second time in three seasons.

If that scenario doesn’t occur, Elliott will still have some quality numbers, but he won’t lead the league in rushing for the second time in three seasons for the simple fact teams will be too focused on him, even more than usual.

The Cowboys are in a good predicament in that they have the chance to have the leading rusher like Elliott on their roster, and they have an offensive line more than capable to leading a running back to glory.

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If Elliott is to become the 2018 rushing champion, though, it will come down to whether his wide receivers and quarterback will be able to take the pressure off him, forcing opponents to back out of the box and respect the play of Prescott and the wide receivers, plus Elliott himself needs to stay on the field as well.

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