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As the Cowboys prepared for a crucial clash against the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas had to contend with yet another distraction in a 2024 season that has been loaded with them.
Running back Ezekiel Elliott was a healthy scratch for the Cowboys' visit to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a first in his nine-year NFL career. It is the latest roadblock Elliott has encountered during his rocky second stint in Dallas, which has not gone the way anyone around the team envisioned.
Cowboys fans turn on Zeke
Fans on X/Twitter are questioning Elliott heavily amid his surprise omission from the Cowboys' roster to face the Falcons. Where the two sides once held out hope for a successful reunion as Dallas chased a Super Bowl berth, it is growing more and more likely that Elliott's return to the team that drafted him fourth overall in 2016 will be short-lived -- with his next move being anyone's guess.
One fan on social media said that it seemed as if Elliott simply did not want to play football anymore. At 29 years old, Elliott is dangerously close to the age in which many NFL running backs can lose effectiveness -- to that point, he has rushed for only 149 yards and two touchdowns this season, averaging just over three yards per carry.
Another fan said that Elliott's disappointing Dallas return is no less than owner Jerry Jones deserves for his lack of aggressiveness last offseason. Many fans anticipated that Jones would try to acquire star running back Derrick Henry over the summer; instead, Henry landed in Baltimore, where he is leading the NFL in carries, rushing yards, and rushing touchdowns.
It is possible that Elliott -- who signed a one-year contract with a base salary of just over $1 million to re the Cowboys -- has played his last down in Dallas. But Elliott's happiness probably isn't at the top of Dallas' list of concerns as they entered Week 9 with a 3-4 record, two games off the pace in the NFC East.