OXNARD, Calif. – Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott is ready to bury the past. He is using last season’s uncharacteristic six-fumble season as fuel entering 2021.
“Having the year I had last year, you don’t need more motivation than that,” Elliott described to reporters during camp. “I just know the type of player I am. I don’t think I showed that last year. I got a lot to prove. I just made sure I didn’t leave any doubt out there that I didn’t do as much as I needed to do.”
In addition to the ball security issues last season, Elliott recorded career-lows in rushing yards (979), average yards per carry (4.0), and touchdowns (six, tied). His production certainly raised question marks as the team’s workhorse on the ground. Regression narratives circulated down the stretch, despite an injury-decimated offensive line and a revolving door at quarterback. As history confirms, the NFL is a copycat league. Once teams witnessed the ball security issues on tape, they strived to exploit it. Defenders actively worked to attack the football and punch it out. They say fumbles “come in bunches” and that became the reality for Elliott last year. A struggle that has become his greatest priority.
“I’ve never been a fumbler. When you carry the ball, you kind of carry the whole hope of the whole team, organization, and fan base. If you cough it up and give it to the other team, you’re letting everyone down, so I mean that’s the No. 1 thing that’s my focus this year is protecting the ball.”
This upcoming season, he will strive to re-write last year’s disappointment on the gridiron. Since entering the league in 2016 out of Ohio State, Elliott has established himself as one of the top rushers in the league with two rushing titles in 2016 and 2018. The three-time pro bowl back had a lapse in performance last season, but the dip has created urgency. He is ready to take advantage of a clean slate in 2021.
“You got to experience the lows to enjoy the highs,” Elliott stressed. “I definitely had some lows last year. So, I am ready to experience some highs this year.”
He began diligently working towards building “highs” during the offseason. Many have witnessed Elliott’s agility and footwork workout videos throughout the summer. The commitment to his craft has certainly paid off and a leaner, 218-pound Elliott has stepped foot on the grass in Oxnard. He is down from 225 last year and has not weighed in at the 218-mark since his freshman year at Ohio State.
Throughout OTA’s and training camp, Elliott looks quicker with the ball in his hands. He appears more decisive and smoother in accelerating off cuts. His time spent on the turf with trainer, Joshua Hicks, will breed success come fall. A focal point for the 26-year-old back was “short area quickness.”
“You kind of look at Josh [Hicks], he’s 5-7, he’s a lot smaller than me, he has shorter legs than me, and a lot more shifty. So, I kind of look at my game and look at what I need to improve on and that’s kind of going to the strengths of his game. So, when I went to work with him it was just kind of getting better at my weaknesses.”
Whatever encompassed his workouts, the effort has materialized between the hash marks. Entering his sixth season with the Cowboys, Elliott is primed for a bounce back. With a healthy offensive line and the return of quarterback Dak Prescott, his ceiling is limitless out of the backfield. Elliott has put in the work, now it is time for the results to manifest for No. 21.
“What will mean a lot to me is going out there and making that work translate to the field, making that work translate to production, and making that work translate to wins.”
