Dallas City News

When the Cowboys re-signed Ezekiel Elliott this offseason, he chose to change his jersey number from 21 to 15, which he wore in college. The team was hopeful they would see a return to his former self, but maybe the change in uniform was foreshadowing something—Elliott appears to be unrecognizable to the player who became the third all-time rushing leader in franchise history.

On Saturday, it was reported that Elliott would be healthy and inactive for the first time in his career, besides resting in late-season meaningless finales, in favor of elevating Dalvin Cook. Elliott’s benching was believed to be for disciplinary reasons, and his absence from the traveling with the team was a “mutual decision.” NFL Network’s Jane Slater adds more context to the story ahead of Sunday’s game in Atlanta.

Absences, tardiness, and distraction are not the words you hope to use for a franchise icon like Elliott. The veteran back has struggled, averaging a career-low 3.1 yards per carry. He was brought in to be the team’s short-yardage running back and entering a new phase of his career where he would be part of a committee and not the lead back.

Rico Dowdle has emerged as the team’s best option at running back, forcing Elliott to be in the back seat of the committee approach. That understanding seemed to wither over the past few weeks when Elliott vocalized his opinion of not being used in the offense as much and now decided not to travel with the team despite being inactive.

In August, Elliott expressed his excitement about returning to Dallas during an interview with NFL Network. He emphasized his desire to help younger players develop into better professionals. However, if players learn best by following examples, there may not be much for them to learn from Elliott right now.