Cowboys culture looks even worse after hearing reason for Ezekiel Elliott benching

Poor performance isn't the reason the Cowboys decided to do something about their ground game.

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Drama always surrounds the Dallas Cowboys and there's plenty of it once again heading into Week 9.

The Cowboys traveled to Georgia this weekend to take on the Atlanta Falcons. Once they departed their facilities, news broke that Ezekiel Elliott wouldn't be traveling with the team. Initially, it appeared he would be a healthy scratch but later, it was revealed that there were disciplinary reasons behind the move.

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NFL reporter Jane Slater pulled the curtain back on the team's reasoning Sunday morning, saying Elliot had been "distracted this season" and was habitually late. He missed his third team meeting of the year on Friday, which she said was "the last straw."

Ezekiel Elliott is a healthy scratch today. The first of his career. According to a number of sources, Elliott has been distracted this season. Aside from habitual tardiness, he’s missed three team meetings with Friday’s meeting the final straw. Both parties decided it was best…

— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) November 3, 2024

There's a lot to take in from Slater and none paints the team, specifically Jerry Jones, in a positive light.

Jones has been a huge supporter of Elliott, who he decided to bring back this offseason rather than pursue someone such as Derrick Henry. Zeke rewarded Jones with the worst performance of his career. Seven games into the season, Elliott has just 149 yards on the ground and a career-low 3.1 yards per carry.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) hands off to Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

Despite his poor performance, he had the nerve to complain about his usage, which led to Jones claiming they were "saving him" for later in the year.

What makes Jones and the culture he created look so terrible is that he was excusing the poor attendance, the complaining, and the awful play on the field. None of that bothered him and he continued to look the other way, while leaving potential superior options on the bench.

Sure, the Cowboys finally made the right call and shut Elliott down. But if these issues, coupled with his poor play, have been ignored for eight weeks, it's easy to see why this team plays without urgency week in and week out. The message all year has been that there's no reason to fear your job as long as Jones likes you. Elliott, who has always been a favorite of Jones, is living proof.

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