Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has agreed to a new contract extension and will be ready for action once the team takes on the New York Giant to kick off the 2019 season on Sunday. But since Elliott didn’t participate in training camp, how much will Elliott play in the season opener?
According to the NFL Network, the Cowboys plan to play Elliott in 20-25 snaps against the Giants. Backup running back Tony Pollard will see his share of action as well as fullback Jamize Olawale will also see his share of action. Slater mentioned that could change depending on how things go the next couple of days.
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It’s not a surprise that Elliott won’t have a ton of snaps since he will be practicing for the first time since June. He has been working out in Cabo during his contract holdout where he got a chance to workout with Hall of Fame running back Marshall Faulk who said Elliott won’t be 100 percent for Sunday’s game.
“Play? Yes,” Faulk said on the Dan Patrick Show. “Play at a high level? Yes. But I would say, possibly run the risk, as any player would who was not in game-conditioned shape if you tried to play him the workload that the Cowboys use him. I don’t think he’s in that form that he could go out and do the things that we were accustomed to seeing him do for a whole game.”
Pollard got the majority of carries during the preseason and he performed well, rushing for 84 yards on 15 carries with one touchdown. Last week, Pollard was asked about possibly starting on Sunday if Elliott wasn’t available.
“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.
“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.”
Elliott agreed to a six-year, $90 million contract with $50 million guaranteed. Overall, Elliott will earn $103 million the next eight seasons which makes him the first $100 million running back in NFL history.
