Dallas Cowboys: 5 Obstacles to success in 2018

4. Running Back Depth

Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension exposed just how one dimensional the Cowboys offense can be. Although the team played relatively well without Elliott, the Cowboys were forced to change up some of the things they did on offense to accommodate his absence.

Hopefully the Cowboys have learned their lesson from his absence and will have an expanded offense heading into 2018. But an expanded offense will require and expanded vision of their running back room.

Elliott can do it all. But should he have to do it all? Cowboys fans should be concerned about the workload Elliott is taking on during his first years in the NFL. He is getting a lot of carries and taking a lot of abuse. Teams understand that running backs have a short shelf life. The Cowboys need to start redistributing some of Elliott’s carries to other backs.

The Cowboys have brought in Tavon Austin and classified him as a running back. He would fit well in the third down/receiving back role. But Austin has been an enigma everywhere he has been. Nobody has figured out just exactly how to use Austin. It seems every year an offensive coordinator has finally figured out how to use him. Cowboys fans are now hoping it is them.

The Cowboys drafted Bo Scarbrough to be another option along with Rod Smith. But the running back room needs to be organized with the idea of reducing Elliott’s carries. If not, an injury to Elliott could stifle the entire offense and be a major obstacle to success in 2018.