After losing Tony Pollard to the Tennessee Titans during free agency, Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones decided not to spend significant money to bring in a high-profile replacement like Derrick Henry or JK Dobbins.

Instead, Jones opted to re-sign Ezekiel Elliott, who was drafted fourth overall by the Cowboys in 2016 and made three Pro Bowls in his first run with Dallas that ended with his release after the 2022 season. After spending last season with the New England Patriots, Zeke was brought back on a one-year deal.

Jones also opted to award a second consecutive one-year contract to Rico Dowdle, who has been with the organization since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

With all due respect, a one-two punch from Elliott and Dowdle didn’t exactly give America’s Team fans much hope for a great year locally. And for most of the season it went that way, as Dallas had one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL.

Elliott was a real disaster. After running for 40 yards and scoring a touchdown in the Cowboys’ season-opening win over the Cleveland Browns, the Ohio State alum failed to surpass 20 yards in any of the following five games.

And not long after being suspended for one game for disciplinary reasons in early November, Zeke was stripped of his lead-back status as Mike McCarthy wanted to give Dowdle more attention.

Of course, this decision worked out wonderfully, as Dowdle has been on fire lately and even made NFL history with three 100-yard performances in the last three weeks.

As a result, Elliott’s touches have declined dramatically, effectively costing him a chance at a story of his own.

Ezekiel Elliott is just two points away from becoming the 28th player in NFL history with 75 rushing TDs

While Elliott only has two rushing touchdowns this season, the first against the Browns in Week 1 and the second against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8, the ninth-year veteran has an impressive 73 in his career.

Simple math shows us that he only needs two more to reach 75, a number that only 27 others have achieved over the course of 100-plus years of NFL history. So it’s a big deal.

But with Dowdle doing what he did, Elliott probably won’t get a chance to reach that milestone. After his 10-carry effort against the Niners, Zeke recorded just 13 total carries in his next five games.

He did carry the ball nine times in the Cowboys’ win over the Panthers last Sunday, but the vast majority of those came in the second half when the result was already decided, five alone on the final drive when Dallas just tried to run out the clock make it scarce.

With the Cowboys unlikely to knock off any of their final three opponents, you wouldn’t think Elliott would see the field that often. And given his overall performance this year (or lack thereof), one has to wonder if this will be his final NFL season.

If Zeke finishes his career with the same 73 rushing touchdowns he has now, that would still be a remarkable number. But you’d think he knew where he stood and would like to get to 75.

It’s just that Dowdle is in his way. And with Rico looking for a new contract, whether with the Cowboys or not, it’s obvious he doesn’t want to give up any touchdowns at the goal line.

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