Cowboys Veteran's Days Are Numbered Despite Surviving Trade Deadline
By Cem Yolbulan
The NFL trade deadline is now behind us, and it didn't serve any other purpose than adding more fuel to Cowboys fans' fire. The only move the Dallas Cowboys made was trading a fourth-round pick for Panthers WR Jonathan Mingo in a massive overpay.
The biggest frustration among the fanbase is the lack of upgrades in the running back room. The Cowboys' RB rotation is arguably the worst in the entire league, ranking near the bottom in all rushing metrics.
One of the biggest reasons for that has been Ezekiel Elliott's performance. Since rejoining the team in the 2024 offseason, Zeke has been a major disappointment, averaging 3.1 yards per carry in 48 rushing attempts.
This was not a big surprise for people who watched him play in New England last season. He had averaged career lows across the board last season but some had chalked it up to the dysfunctional Patriots offense. However, in reality, Elliott is no longer the player he was when he was in Dallas earlier in his career.
Things went to a new low last week when Elliott was disciplined by the organization for habitual tardiness and skipping team meetings. He was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, losing all of his snaps to Rico Dowdle, Dalvin Cook, and Hunter Luepke.
Even though the Cowboys didn't make any additions to the RB room, Dowdle, Cook, and Luepke are all ahead of Zeke in the pecking order. They will continue to get the lion's share of touches in the backfield while Elliott has to wait for an injury to get an increased workload. It wouldn't shock Cowboys fans if the team released him in the second half of the season to make room on the 53-man roster.
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