3 Cowboys Who Could Be Benched in Second Half of Season

2. Ezekiel Elliott

It's not like the Cowboys have great alternatives at this point, but you can't help but wonder if they will decide to bench or cut ties with Ezekiel Elliott at some point this season. It's probably unlikely we'd see them cut him entirely, but Elliott hasn't been effective in his return to Dallas.

He's currently averaging less than 20 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry as the backup to Rico Dowdle. It's a tough current state for the former Cowboys star.

In terms of the overall running back position, the Cowboys are going to have to attack it head-on in the 2025 offseason. But for the time being, what can they even reasonably do? They can continue giving the lion's share of carries to Dowdle and perhaps even incorporate Deuce Vaughn a little bit more and see what he's got with some extended looks. As previously mentioned, they could also throw Lance into the lineup and possibly have him spearhead the revival of the running game this season.

It doesn't look like Dalvin Cook is really going to make meaningful contributions to this Cowboys team and Malik Davis is the only other running back on the practice squad. Maybe we'll see the Cowboys promote him at some point.

Whatever the case, there is no real benefit to giving Elliott carries at this point. He's not elevating the offense and he's not going to be with the team beyond this season. The Cowboys would be better off evaluating guys who have a shot to stick around in 2025.