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The Dallas Cowboys are officially back from their bye week, but it still doesn’t seem like we really know whether or not they’ll have Ezekiel Elliott in the lineup when they take on the Green Bay Packers this weekend. The Cowboys do not expect to have a decision on Elliott’s status until evaluating him pregame, according to ESPN.
Despite Jerry Jones stating earlier this week that he anticipates having Elliott back in Week 10, Elliott himself was a bit more cagey. “I’m not sure if I’m ready to go,” Elliott said Wednesday, per the Cowboys’ official website. “I just need to get some more reps to see where I’m at.”
Elliott practiced in a bulky knee brace on Wednesday, and on Thursday morning, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy stated that Elliott is “truly day to day,” according to ESPN. Both McCarthy and Elliott mentioned the knee injury Elliott played through last year (later identified as a partially torn PCL) as being a consideration here, while Elliott noted that it was more important that he be healthy for a long playoff run than that he play in any particular game.
“We’re all on the same page. I think we all know the importance of just having me down the road and just being as healthy as possible down the road,” Elliott said. “There’s no point of going out there and making it worse…We’re worried about that second half of the season and the playoffs.”
If Elliott cannot go against Green Bay, it will again mean an expanded role for Tony Pollard, who has served as something like the 1B to Elliott’s 1A when both have been healthy this season, despite his significantly out-performing Elliott yet again.
Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete indicated that the team feels Pollard works best when limited to around 30 or so snaps, but he notably did so after he had played 41 snaps the prior week. Either way, the Cowboys would be in good hands even if Elliott has to miss some more time, given that Pollard is the more effective of their two backs anyway. If and when Elliott returns to the fold, he should be used more often in short yardage and goal-line situations to maximize what he brings to the table at this point of his career.
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