The Dallas Cowboys were shocked when they have found out that their star running back Ezekiel Elliott is going to be suspended for the first six games of the 2017 NFL Season. Now, they are working on a backup plan for their offense and getting their backup running backs ready to go. Even though we probably won’t see him in action in games that matter until mid-October, we might see him take a few balls out of the backfield in the Dallas Cowboys upcoming Preseason game against the Raiders.
There is no rule that forbids players that are suspended to play in the Preseason. That only counts for the regular season. Tom Brady saw some reps for the New England Patriots last year in August, and he was also forced to miss first four games of the season because of the suspension. The same thing is going to apply for Elliott.
Head Coach Jason Garrett has talked about Zeke possibly seeing some action against Oakland. Even though he was more than happy with his starters against the Colts, he might go ahead and give Elliot some minutes. The star RB did play against Seattle in Week 3 last year, he felt good, and coach Garrett believes that contest helped Elliott. Here is what he added about his running back.
“There are plenty of running backs in the league that don’t play that much in the Preseason. Those guys just seem to have a feel, they can get a feel for what they need to do in practice if the practice is competitive and they practice in the right environment, which we believe we do.”
He concluded by saying that he is still considering playing Elliott, but that the final decision hasn’t been made still. It is likely going to be a game-time call.
