Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott named most overrated running back in NFL

Jerry Jones might believe Ezekiel Elliott is still a starter but one outlet says he's the most overrated RB in the NFL.

Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

After spending one year with the New England Patriots, Ezekiel Elliott is again the Dallas Cowboys top running back. Dallas lost Tony Pollard in free agency following two consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns and turned to Zeke after deciding against drafting a replacement.

Elliott isn't expected to carry the load the way he did early in his career but the Cowboys are still going to ask a lot from him considering the running back room consists of Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman, and Deuce Vaughn.

Team owner Jerry Jones thinks that will work, even saying he believes Elliott is still a quality starter based on his final games in New England. He might be alone in that assessment with Alex Kay of Bleacher Report going as far as to say Zeke is the most overrated running back in the NFL entering 2024.

Kay named the most overrated player at each position, and while it was nice to see such a list ignore Dak Prescott (Justin Herbert got the QB honors), Elliott was still highlighted. Kay says the contract is easier to swallow but adds that Elliott will still play a major role.

"While Elliott is due to make only $2 million in 2024—a far cry from the six-year, $90 million deal he signed with Dallas in 2019—he's still projected to play a significant role this season. He isn't likely to face much competition from unproven backups like Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn or journeyman free-agent pickup Royce Freeman, which means the Cowboys are poised to feature the NFL's most overrated running back as their starter."

- Alex Kay, Bleacher Report

Dallas has gone back and forth when it comes to their focus on running backs. They elected not to overpay DeMarco Murray in 2015 and found a 1,000-yard rusher in free agency in the form of Darren McFadden. They then selected Elliott fourth overall in 2016 and overpaid him in 2019 with his monstrous extension.

Now, they went back to the other extreme by ignoring Pollard when his contract is up while putting together one of the least impressive committees in recent memory. If Elliott proves to be overrated and fails to live up to the task, the Cowboys will be in trouble this season — unless someone else rises to the challenge and takes some of the pressure off of Prescott.