Hopefully, this isn’t a case of history repeating itself.
Fresh off a big hit to his right knee on Sunday afternoon, Ezekiel Elliott didn’t practice Wednesday as the Dallas Cowboys begin their prep for the Chicago Bears.
On the surface, this isn’t overly concerning. Elliott returned to action shortly after taking that hit to the knee, scoring two touchdowns and even hurdling a defender. He ran for 57 yards on the day with a long of 18 in the Cowboys’ win over the Detroit Lions.
Afterward, Elliott said he thought the issue was a contusion. Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy classified it as a sprain on Wednesday morning.
The concern comes when thinking back to last year. Elliott hurt the same knee early in the season, taking a hit during a win against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4.
Credit Elliott’s toughness. The injury turned out to be a partially torn PCL, which Elliott revealed after the season. But that revelation came after he had played in 14 more games, taking at least nine carries in all of them.
Clearly, the issue didn’t affect his availability, though Elliott later admitted it limited his burst and explosiveness moving forward. He was averaging 90 yards per game when he sustained the injury, and that number would dip to 51 in the ensuing weeks.
In a league where four yards per carry is considered the minimum mark for success as a running back, Elliott only topped that average five times in 14 games after the injury.
Obviously, it’s early to be ringing any alarm bells. McCarthy told reporters Wednesday that Elliott’s current injury is not related to last year’s. It’s still possible he could practice this week and play Sunday against Chicago.
Still, situations like this are worth monitoring for running backs, especially those with 1,839 career carries — and even more so those with a history of knee injuries.
Given how much the combination of Elliott and Tony Pollard has meant to the Cowboys’ offense this season, it’s certainly something to keep an eye on.
David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter @davidhelman_.
