FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott won’t make the trip to Atlanta and will miss Sunday’s game for reasons the team didn’t disclose.
The announcement Saturday means Elliott will miss a game for the first time in eight seasons over two stints with the Cowboys for reasons other than injury, suspension or games where the stakes couldn’t justify using their lead back.
ESPN cited anonymous sources in reporting the absence was for disciplinary reasons.
Elliott, a two-time rushing champion for Dallas as the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 draft, returned to his original team in the offseason after one year with New England. The Cowboys released Elliott in a cost-cutting move after the 2022 season.
The 29-year-old’s return hasn’t been very productive. Elliott is averaging a career-worst 3.1 yards per carry with 149 yards on 48 attempts. He has the only two rushing touchdowns by a running back for the NFL’s worst run game. Dallas (3-4) is averaging just 74 yards per game on the ground.
Dalvin Cook was elevated from the practice squad for the second consecutive week and should serve as the backup to Rico Dowdle against the Falcons (5-3). Dowdle was a late scratch in last week’s 30-24 loss to San Francisco because of an illness.
Elliott won both his rushing titles in his first three seasons. He led the NFL in yards rushing per game in the other year, when he was suspended for six games over domestic violence allegations.
In his first seven seasons with the Cowboys, Elliott missed just five games outside his suspension. Three were for injuries, and two were regular-season finales with the Cowboys already in the playoffs.
Elliott’s touchdown last weekend against the 49ers was his 70th on the ground with Dallas, two behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett for second place on the club’s career list. NFL all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith, also a Hall of Famer, leads the Cowboys in yards rushing and touchdowns.
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