By: Jeremy Trottier

Coming into this article idea, frankly, I thought there was absolutely no viable way Ezekiel Elliott is remotely a Hall of Fame caliber player, as many of you may be thinking at this moment.  After delving into some more research on the topic, I am not 100% convinced he will make it, but frankly, there are a few players who compare exceptionally well to Zeke who made the Hall of Fame.  In this article, I will be comparing him to two Hall of Fame players who had relatively similar careers to this point in time, as well as gauging his legacy on the sport to determine if he is someone who should be considered for enshrinement. 

Ezekiel Elliott Vs. Currently Enshrined Players

The first thing I did when researching for this article is looked at every current Hall of Fame running back who was enshrined and taking into account their statistical success in comparison to Zeke.  As surprising as this may be, Zeke not only compares exceptionally well to one of these players but also seemingly surpasses another in many metrics across the board. 

The first player he compares well to is Hall of Fame Cleveland Browns running back Leroy Kelly, who played from 1964-1973. In his 10-season career, he had 7,274 rushing yards (217 less than Zeke as of the writing of this on 9/24), 74 touchdowns (18 more than Zeke), 4.2 yards per carry (0.3 less than Zeke average), 2,281 receiving yards (44 more than Zeke), and 13 receiving touchdowns (1 more than Zeke).  They compare almost identically except for rushing touchdowns, which Zeke would likely surpass in 3 more seasons if he is to play that much longer.  For those saying that seasons were shorter in this era, while that is true, Leroy played in 46 more games (20 more starts) over the course of his career, and rushed 52 more attempts in his career.  While they are relatively far apart in games played and started, the rushing attempts are very close as of right now, which shows efficiency per run as well as how productive Zeke has been in his 90 games to date.  Kelly did have 3 more pro-bowl appearances than Elliott, as well as 2 more first-team all-pro appearances. 

The other player worth mentioning in this topic would be Hall of Fame Denver Broncos Running back Floyd Little, who played from 1967-1975.  During this span of 9 seasons, he would play 117 games (27 more than Zeke), start in 105 (15 more than Zeke), have 1,641 rushing attempts (34 more than Zeke), had 6,323 rushing yards (1,168 less than Zeke), 43 rushing touchdowns (13 less than Zeke), 3.9 yards per carry (0.6 less per carry), 2,418 receiving yards (181 more than Zeke), and 9 receiving touchdowns (3 less than Zeke).  Floyd had 2 more pro-bowl appearances in his career than Elliott, and the same amount of first-team all-pro team appearances.  Ezekiel has the upper hand in nearly every major statistic compared to Little aside from receiving yards, which he could surpass this or next season.  Both of these players did play in an era where defense was significantly more dominant though however, which is worth noting, however backs were utilized at a higher level as well so it evens out to an extent. 

Does Zeke deserve to be in the HOF?

The answer for now, despite all this, is no.  While Elliott has performed at the level of other HOF backs so far, he needs to play out at least 3 more seasons and have a pretty decent level of production.  The main reason is legacy, a Super Bowl would go a long way for his resume, or a few more pro-bowl appearances.  Statistics do not carry all of the weight in the world, legacy takes about half of the weight for Hall of Fame inductions.  Zeke does not have a ton of legacy under his belt aside from a phenomenal rookie year. 

I would say breaking into the top 30-35 backs in terms of rushing yards would put him on a good track, which would be Marshawn Lynch (30^th all-time ”“ 10,413 rushing yards).  To put that into perspective, that is 2,922 yards, or almost 1,000 a season if he only plays 3 more years.  Is this attainable?  Absolutely.  Breaking the 10,000 yards mark, getting his touchdown numbers up a bit more, and continuing on the track to at least some deep playoff appearances would put him in HOF talks.  For now, he is a good quality player, but if he retired today, he would not be inducted. 

The post Is Ezekiel Elliott a future Hall of Famer? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Dallas Cowboys best kept secret might just be RB Tony Pollard. The Cowboys 25-year-old RB earned a bigger piece of the pie in 2021, as he had a career-high 130 rushing attempts and a career-high 39 receptions. He was quite efficient with his rushing workload, as he averaged 5.5 YPC and was fourth in yards after contact. The Cowboys RB2 and kick return warrior finished as the RB30 in fantasy points per game.

Pollard is definitely an ascending RB and he could truly hit a Pro Bowl season if an injury to Zeke occurs, but the question is: what is his long-term outlook with Elliot? The steam for Pollard picked up in 2021 and I honestly believe that Pollard will be at least near a 50-50 slate with Zeke moving forward. He may not garner the same popularity, contract, or bell-cow ability, but I believe his well-rounded ability will rise to become indispensable in the Cowboys offense.

Dave Halprin from Blogging The Boys cites the demise of Zeke and his RYOE (rushing yards over expected) that has declined in each of the past few years and it would make sense if the aging, broken down RB, continues to have a worse RYOE in 2022. Halprin also elaborates that Zeke’s % of touches has declined from 78%, 70%, to 62%. I really believe Pollard will be more involved as a RB and he should be more involved in the Cowboys passing attack that lost Amari Cooper this off-season.

I and the rest of the world expect Pollard to be the team’s starter in 2023. After this upcoming season, Zeke’s contract will be easier to eliminate or restructure and Pollard (who I expect them to re-sign in 2023) could be a stat machine in the Boys offense for a few seasons. I believe Pollard should eventually be the 1A at RB, remain a dynasty sleeper, and enjoy a Pro Bowl season or two in a very explosive Cowboys offense that dropped 50+ points in two of their last contests.

The post When will Tony Pollard start? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Dallas Cowboys have reaped the benefits from the former Ohio State legend Ezekiel Elliott for six seasons. Zeke had a career-high 322 rushing attempts in his rookie season, which led to 1,631 rushing yards, 15 rushing touchdowns, and All-Pro honors.

Since the eclipse of his rookie season, Zeke has unleashed three 1,000+ rushing yd seasons and two seasons of 10+ rushing touchdowns. The Cowboys legend has also been fed in numerous ways, as he’s averaged 1,605 all-purpose yards in each season. It’s obvious that Jerry Jones showed his faith in Zeke by making him the highest-paid NFL RB on Sept. 4th of 2019.

It’s true that Zeke has unveiled one of the best six-season spans from the RB spot, but how much tread could actually be left on his tires? Elliott averaged 65.3 rushing YPG in 2020, which was a career-low mark at that point in time. His 58.9 rushing YPG mark in 2021 broke his 2020 career-low rushing number and it’s clear that his tank is losing gas. Meanwhile, Tony Pollard unveiled 719 rushing yards and averaged 5.5 yards per carry. Pollard is hurting fantasy owners of Zeke, to say the least.

Zeke is currently the 22nd-ranked RB in dynasty RB rankings (PPR) on Fantasy Pros. The Cowboys RB1 that has more career touches than any other RB starter shouldn’t return to being an overly impressive RB for the Cowboys, but I believe the 26-year-old can be a 1,000+ rushing-yard RB for one or two seasons.

I wouldn’t be thrilled about the bruised RB behind the Cowboys struggling offensive line. The Cowboys offensive line is far from the OL unit that propelled Zeke or really helped Demarco Murray. Most importantly, the 24-year-old Pollard is coming off a career season and he could realistically be the future of the Cowboys backfield after one or two seasons. Zeke is a dying breed, so it’s time to celebrate the remaining magic by pardoning him if possible and enjoying his limited highlights on TV.

The post Ezekiel Elliott’s dynasty outlook right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The secret is out: the Dallas Cowboys will likely release their star wide receiver, Amari Cooper. The Boys feel comfortable with pardoning the wideout, especially after carrying Ceedee Lamb, Michael Gallup, Dalton Schultz, and Ezekiel Elliot. The chances of retaining Gallup in 2022 took a boost after the recent Cooper news.

The Cowboys could retain Gallup and pair him with their talented wideout Lamb. I wouldn’t be shocked if Jerry wants his beloved NFC East squad to pick up a cheaper WR3 for his explosive offense. If they lose Gallup, they really need to ink a wideout in free agency. I expect them to re-sign Gallup and add another wideout. I wouldn’t be surprised if they try to sign a talented wide receiver, especially with Dak and Zeke in their prime. So, who could they sign? Well, here are a few free-agent wide receiver options for the Boys.

Zay Jones

The Raiders WR Zay Jones would be the ultimate value signing for Dallas. Jones is an ideal replacement on the outside for Cooper. He’s 27 years old, coming off a modest season of 546 yards, and he doesn’t have any injury concerns. Jones has never missed more than two games in a season. Jerry wouldn’t have to break the bank for Jones to say the least. The Raiders will likely sign JuJu or Tae, so Jones most likely won’t be returning to Sin City.

A.J. Green

The Cowboys would be able to resurrect A.J. Green’s career more than any other team on his wishlist. Green could take a short-term contract to play with Prescott, Zeke, and Lamb. If he wants to chase a Super Bowl and put up quality numbers, it would be wise for him to sign with Dallas. Green had 848 yards last season with Murray and I believe he can surely put up better numbers with Prescott.

Cordarrelle Patterson

Cordarrelle Patterson would be a nice, versatile addition to the Cowboys offense. The Tavon Austin experiment with the Cowboys wouldn’t come close to the success that Patterson could unleash with Dallas. Patterson had a career season in Atlanta, but Matt Ryan (and Calvin Ridley) could be gone in 2022. Outside of being a talented WR3 fit for Dallas, Patterson has been All-Pro in his career as a kick returner and he’s a special RB. He could be a supreme x-factor in pivotal playoff matchups.

Honorable mention:

JuJu Smith-Schuster

“never say never”

It would be a surprise if the Cowboys cut ties with Cooper and then made a splash signing at the WR position in free agency (outside of Gallup). Still, I could feel like Jerry would be tempted to sign a younger, talented wideout in the candy shop of free agency. The Cowboys want Prescott to win an MVP award and they really want to win a Super Bowl, while Zeke (and Dak) are in their prime. JuJu Smith-Shuster would be an intriguing signing. He’s also stated how he loves everything about Dallas.

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