Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott won’t travel with team to Atlanta for Sunday matchup vs. Falcons

Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will not travel with the team to Atlanta and will be inactive for Sunday’s game against the Falcons, the team announced Saturday. Elliott is sidelined for disciplinary reasons, according to a league source.

Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott will not travel with the team to Atlanta and will be inactive for tomorrow’s game.

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 2, 2024

Elliott, who has played in all seven games so far this season, has rushed for 149 yards on 48 attempts. Both figures are second on the team to Rico Dowdle, who missed last week’s game with a last-minute illness but is expected to be back in the mix this week.

The Cowboys’ running game has struggled mightily all season. Their 74.1 yards per game and 3.4 yards per carry each rank dead last in the NFL.

The Cowboys signed Elliott following the NFL Draft, which was after the team opted not to address the running back position in any noteworthy way in free agency or the draft. Elliott didn’t play in the preseason at all, with the Cowboys saying they were seeing enough in training camp practices.

However, Elliott’s season is showing the 29-year-old has very little left in the tank. His longest run has been 11 yards. He’s lost the ability to break tackles like he once used to, and his speed has diminished greatly.

The Cowboys will rely on a heavy dose of Dowdle as their lead back in the committee. Deuce Vaughn, who provides some special teams ability, may also be active. Fullback Hunter Luepke has been involved in the run game, and the Cowboys elevated veteran running back Dalvin Cook for the second time this season after he made his debut in San Francisco last week.

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(Photo: Wesley Hitt / Getty Images)