When Ezekiel Elliott was selected by the Cowboys, he landed in the most perfect spot that any rookie running back could ask for. There were multiple times during his rookie year where he would get to the second level without getting touched — mostly due to his dominating offensive line. But after I talked The Wolf into bumping Elliott up to his RB2, his beastly offensive line decided to fall apart — at the same damn time.
They first lost All-Pro guard Zach Martin when he hyperextended his left knee and got a bone bruise when he was undercut by Dre Kirkpatrick during the preseason Week 2 game. As of right now it doesn’t seem likely that Martin will suit up for the opener.
Then, matters got worse when All-Pro center Travis Frederick left the team when he was suffering from something called Guillain-Barre syndrome, which is an auto-immune disease that attacks the nerves. Frederick’s absence might be the biggest loss for Elliott, who does the majority of his damage up the gut where Frederick road grades. As of right now, the All-Pro center is out indefinitely with no time-table to return.
So not only are those two All-Pros out, but both tackles have also been banged up. La’el Collins was seen limping at practice on Thursday and then had his ankle heavily taped when he was spotted by a reporter. Then there’s the all important Tyron Smith, who missed practice due to a reoccurring back issue that he’s been fighting. Let’s not forget what an utter disaster that offensive line was without him last season.
Let’s hope these guys get back on the field ASAP, because we don’t want Zeke running behind this. As of now, Zeke fell back to The Wolf’s RB4. This situation could harm him a bit, but landing Elliott at No. 4 overall isn’t the worst thing that could happen to you.
