Could 2022 be a make or break season for Ezekiel Elliott?
Dallas Cowboys starting running back Ezekiel Elliott had a fast start to his six-year career in the league.
He won Rookie of the Year in 2016 after rushing for a league-leading 1,631 yards (third-most all-time for a rookie) and 15 rushing touchdowns.
His rookie season ended up being the best of his six seasons in the league so far, as his production has been a little inconsistent in his career.
Ezekiel Elliot's rookie season
322 ATT
1,631 YDS
5.1 AVG
16 TD
32 REC
362 yards REC https://t.co/RuwMo1Ca0G
In his second season, the star running back failed to eclipse 1,000 rushing yards as he missed the first six games of the season due to suspension. He picked it up in his third season, rushing for a league-high 1,434 rushing yards while adding 567 receiving yards.
The following season, he rushed for 1,357 yards while scoring 14 total touchdowns while rushing for 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons for the first time.
It was during his 2020 season where he rushed for just 979 yards and averaged a career-low 4.0 yards per carry. In 15 games, he scored just eight total touchdowns and looked slower than he did in his previous years.
Last season, he rushed for just 1,002 yards with 10 touchdowns while notching 287 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. This still wasn't the level of production that the Cowboys or his contract expected of him.
Part of his recent lack of production can be attributed to the rise of running back Tony Pollard. Pollard was drafted in 2019 and was mainly used as a third-down back.
In his first three seasons, Pollard's production improved each year, gaining more total yardage with every passing campaign. Last season, Pollard ran for 719 yards while adding 337 receiving yards.
Elliott is currently being paid the second highest salary of any running back in the league, making $15 million annually.
Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey is the highest-paid back in the league, making around $16 million a year. Saints running back Alvin Kamara makes the same annually as Elliott does.
NFL's highest paid running backs: Ranking RBs by salary for 2022 NFL season rssfeeds.azcentral.com/~/682206514/0/…
Ezekiel Elliott needs to step up in 2022
Elliott has the highest-cap hit of any running back this season at $18.2 million, according to spotrac.com. When you're being paid the highest at your position, you're expected to play at that level.
Entering his seventh season as a running back, it will be hard for the Cowboys running back to match the production he reached in his rookie season.
If the Cowboys decide to go forward with a running back committee featuring Elliott and Pollard, they'll have to find a way to keep both at a reasonable price.