First, Elliott was expected to be active for the game. On Saturday he did not accompany the constitutional aviation personnel. Elliott’s agent, Rocky Arceneaux, may no longer be able to be reached for comment.
It’s no longer the homecoming Elliott sought since signing a one-year trade with the Cowboys in April. He has 149 yards on 48 carries and two touchdowns, and has caught seven passes for 40 yards in seven games.
He signed a one-year trade with the Cowboys in April with a $3 million max and $2.15 million guaranteed, along with a $600,000 signing bonus.
At the end of the future loss to the San Francisco 49ers, he scored his 70th quick touchdown for the Cowboys, two behind Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett, who is behind the best Emmitt Smith in team history.
This will be the first year in his career, Elliott will be removed from the lineup in a game in which the Cowboys’ playoff position has not been resolved. He rested in the regular season finals in 2016 and 2018 with his occasional incorporation.
Elliott’s place on the game-day roster was in doubt going forward against San Francisco, even though one source said he would have been active even if leading running back Rico Dowdle didn’t get sick before kickoff. He has missed the three best games due to trauma (in 2022 he has missed two games due to knee trauma; in 2020 he has missed one game due to a calf strain). He was suspended six games in 2017.
Dowdle, who has 246 rushing yards, is healthy going forward, and the Cowboys added Dalvin Cook from the practice squad on Saturday for the second time going forward.
With the Fresh England Patriots in 2023, Elliott posted career lows in carries (184) and yards (642), but hauled in 51 passes for 313 yards and scored five touchdowns.
This season, Elliott started the opener against the Cleveland Browns and led the Cowboys with 40 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown. He began to close his future against the Niners and had 10 carries for 34 yards, including a season-long 11-yard gain in the first phase. In the other five games, he hasn’t had more than eight carries or 19 yards in a game.
The Cowboys entered the season with a backup committee in place, but the production was no longer there. They entered Sunday’s game averaging 74.1 yards per game, a number that is closing in on the NFL. They are also in the midst of a streak of 21 straight games without a 100-yard rusher, the longest streak in team history.
Cook recorded four 1,000-yard seasons with the Minnesota Vikings (2019-22) and earns a spot in the Pro Bowl each year. Last year, he signed late with the Fresh York Jets and had just 214 yards on 67 carries in 15 games. He played one game for the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs and had eight carries for 23 yards. He had six carries for 12 yards against the Niners.
