10 NFL players who will be a letdown in 2021

2. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

We have heard all offseason that Ezekiel Elliott looks leaner and more explosive than he ever has. The problem is, this isn’t the first time we have heard that when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys star running back — and he has continued to look less and less like the player who exploded onto the scene in 2016.

2020 was especially bad for Zeke, who failed to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the second time in his career and the only other time was when he was suspended for six games in 2017. He also had just six touchdowns on the ground and two receiving, which was down quite a bit from the 14 he had the year prior.

And even with the news that he’s been looking better, this is still a player who has taken a beating in his career. Elliott has 1,413 carries already and another 241 touches. Dallas has used him as a featured back and stubbornly refuses to spell him for long — even with Tony Pollard proving to be an explosive player.

In the end, that could be detrimental to Elliott’s career since we have seen how quickly a running back wears down once the hits start piling up. And he has taken more than just about any player his age. That means it’s probably not a safe bet to assume he will suddenly start to turn back the clock.