Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett is confident running back Ezekiel Elliott will be back with the team very soon. However, with the Cowboys getting ready for their season opener against the New York Giants this Sunday, Garrett’s focus is on their opponent and the players who are practicing right now. After practice on Monday, reporters asked Garrett how much time Elliott would need to get back into football shape since he did not practice with the team during training camp.
“That’s a hypothetical,” Garrett said via the team’s official website. “Zeke is as capable as anybody I know. He’s an experienced player, he’s been a really good player for us, he knows our system of football. I don’t think they’ll be a lot of learning there. he’s a smart guy, an instinctive guy.
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“But again, that’s a hypothetical. We’re just focused on the guys we have right now. We’re going to go practice as well as we can the right way to prepare for the Giants.”
If Elliott is with the team on Sunday, it’s very likely he will see limited action. That could mean rookie running back Tony Pollard could get the start, and the Cowboys are confident he can get the job done.
“We feel good about Tony. Tony’s done everything we’ve asked him to do as a runner, as a protector, as a receiver, and there aren’t really any issues we have with him,” Garrett said. “He’s a smart football player. We thought that when he was coming out of school.”
Last week, reporters asked Pollard about Elliott’s holdout for a new contract and possibly starting against the Giants.
“That’s not for me to worry about,” he said. “I’m just coming in being the best back I can be, doing whatever the team needs me to do.”
Pollard was the team’s top running back during the preseason, rushing for 84 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries in three games. Pollard, who was drafted by the Cowboys in the fourth round this year from Memphis, didn’t expect to see this much action right away.
“It’s not what I expected coming into this situation, but I always prepare to be ready for whatever,” he said. “Since this situation did happen, the way I that I prepare, I guess I was just ready for it and want to continue to make the most of it.”
It has been reported that Elliott is leaving Cabo for Dallas to get ready to sign his new deal. So it’s likely Elliott will be in uniform on Sunday, but how much he plays is a different story.
