Dallas Cowboys: Are the Cowboys Toying With Elliott

The Dallas Cowboys have been saying they plan to extend Ezekiel Elliott, but is there a possibility they are just playing with Elliott?

The Dallas Cowboys have a decision to make about Ezekiel Elliott. I believe they should sign him. There is, however, a thought in the NFL and even among some analysts and fans, you don’t pay running backs.

Sure, a great running back can make or break a team, but the wear and tear and overall mileage a running back has is unlike any other position. They tend to have the shortest shelf life of being at the top of their game. They tend to get injured more often and see their game drop off than many other positions.

So, are the Dallas Cowboys just playing with Elliott saying they want to give him an extension? Last week, Stephen Jones saidon the “Pro Football Talk Live” podcast on Thursday:

"“He’s the straw, if you will, that stirs our drink. He’s a key part of what we’re about,” “Certainly, he’s a priority in terms of ultimately getting him signed. But there hasn’t really been a timetable put on this.”"

From the sounds of it, the Cowboys are going to do the right thing and extend arguably the best running back in the league to another contract. Elliott has the absolute potential to be a generational, Hall of Fame worthy, running back. He is special, rarely do you have a running back that is just that, special. Elliott has a rare combination of speed, strength, and vision, all of which have made him the top rusher twice.

However, Jason Garrett was asked about the draft and said about Mike Weber:

"‘Why not Weber?’ We feel he can be a three-down back for us, particularly good running the ball inside on first and second down. We felt that was something we wanted to add to our team.”"

Sure, maybe they wanted insurance if Elliott did get hurt to have a three down back, but maybe he was hinting to the eventual replacement to Elliott if the Cowboys don’t sign him.

If you ask around, Mike Weber is thought to be a good running back, but not special. Elliott is special, but the thought around the league, which is now a considered a passing league, that you can find production at the running back position all over the draft and using multiple players. A good example is how the Chiefs rolled out multiple running backs.