The Dallas Cowboys faced an interesting dilemma this past April. With the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and the only non-quarterback off the board being defensive end Joey Bosa, the Cowboys had the opportunity to address either side of the ball. Since the Cowboys already have the best offensive line in the NFL, the decision they faced would come down to Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott or perhaps Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys brass decided to go with the explosive running back over the dynamic cornerback. Elliott would be the highest drafted running back since the Cleveland Browns selected Trent Richardson with the third overall pick in 2012. The decision to pick Elliott over Ramsey could impact the franchise for years and years to come.
There are two sides of the decisions to understand. On paper, Elliott should fit perfectly with the Cowboys with their dominant offensive line already in place, along with a veteran quarterback and star wide receiver in Tony Romo and Dez Bryant. Taking a cornerback high in the first round could be very risky, as it is very hard to predict how a corner’s game could translate to the NFL, since the gap between college and NFL receivers is so vast. On the other side, a team does not necessarily need an elite level running back to win in the NFL and Ramsey could have filled a big need for a playmaker in the secondary.
Elliott got his chance to prove he was the correct pick in the season opener against the New York Giants at home. In a frustrating 20-19 loss, Elliott did not exactly light the field on fire. The Giants held the rookie to only 51 yards on the ground on 20 carries and one reception for one whole yard. Elliott’s longest run of the day would be an eight-yard run for a touchdown early in the third quarter. He ended up averaging 2.5 per carry on the day, not exactly an average a 4th pick would be proud to stand behind.
Besides the touchdown run, which was scored after a Brandon Carr interception early in the third quarter in Giants’ territory, Elliott had no memorable plays in the game. Elliott was stuffed at the line too often and was not able to break the Giants’ defensive front. In Elliott’s defense, some felt he wasn’t provided the typically stellar lanes that the Cowboys offensive line is known to provide, something that was not really predicted by many. This could be a testament to the Giants’ new and improved defensive line, which didn’t get outplayed by the Cowboys’ offensive line in any way.
Elliott averaged a terrible 0.5 yards per carry before contact, well below the 2.0 yards they averaged before contact last season. Elliott is well aware of his vanilla debut saying,
“I think I was average. That’s not why I was brought here to be average, so we’ve got a lot of work to get done.”
First-year Cowboy running back Alfred Morris looked more comfortable, tallying 35 yards on only seven carries, with a long of 13. With another NFC East rival game next week in Washington against the Redskins, the Cowboys may not be as patient with Elliott in his second start.
The Cowboys could not afford to fall to 0-2 to division opponents, so if Elliott doesn’t come out of the gates firing, we could see more of Alfred Morris than we expected this early in the season.
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