Ezekiel Elliott Suspension Has Dallas Cowboys Scrambling to Reset Offensive Identity

The star running back has dropped his appeal, and his absence will continue to disrupt an offense built around his talents

On the Cowboys’ first play from scrimmage last Sunday, Alfred Morris took the handoff, cut back to avoid Falcons defensive tackle Dontari Poe, then followed behind the blocks of tight end Jason Witten and left tackle Chaz Green.

Morris picked up two yards. Ezekiel Elliott might have had five. Or more. And thus, those paying close attention got a first-hand look at exactly what the Cowboys feared they’d miss with the reigning rushing champion serving the first game of a six-game suspension, stemming from a 2016 domestic incident in Columbus, Ohio.

So the next play was second-and-8 rather than, say, second-and-6, and the Atlanta rush could tee off on Dak Prescott, without regard for the run. It did, and Prescott felt it and threw a pick to Desmond Trufant. The interception was nullified by an offsides flag. But the tone was set. This scenario would play out over and over all afternoon.

“Zeke is incredibly efficient,” said one Dallas staffer. “Like, if you run on first down, you’re almost guaranteed 3 or 4 yards, which puts you in a great second-down situation. So you’re almost always on track. … Second-and-8 or 9 is a different world than second-and-4-to-6.”

Did the Cowboys miss left tackle Tyron Smith on Sunday? Of course they did, and Atlanta’s Adrian Clayborn had six sacks to show for it. But they missed Elliott more, and with the news coming down Wednesday that the second-year bellcow is dropping his appeal, Dallas is now scrambling to reset an offensive identity that has come to be grounded on the talents of its 22-year-old phenom.

In this week’s Game Plan, we’ll take you inside the Bills’ stunning quarterback decision; explain how the Steelers defense is once again carrying the flag for the franchise; check in on Jerry vs. the NFL (Jerry vs. the world?); and diagnosis the Vikings’ quarterback situation one more time with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.

Rodger Mallison/Fort Worth Star-Teleram/TNS via Getty Images

But we’re starting in Dallas with the end of Elliott’s legal saga. So where do all these parties go from here? Glad you asked. The fallout will be felt by the team, its star, and the league and union…

For the Team

Prescott has been fantastic through his first 25 games as a pro, but he’s also been insulated by football’s best offensive line and one of the best backs to come into the NFL in a generation. On Sunday, the quarterback was thrown into the proverbial cold.

The above only foreshadowed the rest of Dallas’ 27-7 loss. Sixteen of Dallas’ first 17 second downs were second-and-8 or longer, accounting for a stretch of 54 minutes, and for the Falcons seizing control of the game. It was 27-7 by the time the Cowboys had second-and-less-than-8 for a second time. Second-and-long led to third-and-long, which changed circumstances completely on Prescott and the Smith-less line.

And, as a second Dallas staffer put it, when I referenced that first series, “The presence of Zeke makes more difference than on any specific run. Defenses will play gaps a little different, they take chances to shoot gaps or run underneath moreso now.”

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Now, if you’re hung up on Chaz Green allowing Clayborn to run wild, you should first consider the two games of consequence the Cowboys were without Smith last year. In the first, a 31-17 win over Chicago, Green started at left tackle, Elliott rushed for 140 yards on 30 carries, and Prescott was not sacked. The next week, Green started again, Elliott went 138 yards on 23 carries, and Prescott was sacked just twice.

It’s not hard to deduce here that the efficiency that Elliott brings on the ground sets the table for so much of what the Cowboys have become over the past 14 months. So it shouldn’t surprise, with the efficiency gone, that Green and the rest of the line struggled mightily to protect Prescott—and demonstrated the reigning rushing champion’s value in a pretty vivid way.

For the Star

There are two people who know what happened two summers ago in Columbus. If Elliott is guilty, and lying about what happened with Tiffany Thompson, he deserves more than six games. If he isn’t? I’ve maintained he should fight this thing to the end, whether the suspension was to be enforced or not, because that scarlet letter being pinned to his reputation won’t be easy to shed.

Elliott’s lawyers said this in a statement Wednesday: “This decision arises from a practical assessment of the legal landscape. Mr. Elliott’s desire for closure in this matter is in his best interest, as well as the best interests of his teammates, family and friends. This decision is in no way an admission of any wrongdoing.”

Unfortunately for Elliott, many fans will see this as that, even though he wasn’t ever charged with a crime in this case. That six-game suspension he’ll serve is, indeed, for his involvement in a domestic violence case—a fact that will be tough for him to shake.

For the League and Union

Make no mistake, this is a huge win for the NFL. It again sends the message the legal system is not a lever for players who aren’t satisfied with the results they get from the league’s internal appeals process. More than just that, where the Tom Brady situation last year established case law for future NFL/player squabbles, this reinforced that case law.

For Roger Goodell, How Long Is Too Long?

And as the league sees it, that was driven home when the circuit court set an expedited schedule for Elliott’s case that moved even faster than what the union sought. It sent the message that the court wanted to be done with the case quickly, as it believed the Brady precedent would hold.

So, yes, to the rest of us, there are still plenty of examples that make the NFL’s process look like kangaroo court. What the Elliott case tells us, though, is that doesn’t really matter. Article 46, granting the commissioner power over these cases, does.

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