Ohio State Football: How Ezekiel Elliott improved Dallas Cowboys’ D
With their defensive problems many questioned the Dallas Cowboys when they chose Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott with the No. 4 pick of the 2016 draft. It turned out to be an outstanding choice as he was a great fit, and his production has helped the Cowboys’ defense.
Draft experts raised their eyebrows when the Dallas Cowboys chose Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth pick of the 2016 NFL draft. With the needs the Cowboys had on defense why would they choose a running back?
Afterwards I wrote that Zeke was the best fit for his new team of any NFL draft pick. My reasoning, his production would improve the Dallas defense. Elliott would not only improve the overall performance of the offense but would also help grind out first downs to give players on the other side of the ball a breather.
Take a look at defensive numbers before Elliott first lined up in the Cowboys’ backfield and those since. See if you think I was correct.
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During the 2015 season Dallas gave up 23.4 points per game. In 2016 the Cowboys only gave up 20 ppg, good for 8th best in the league.
I’m sure the improved defense was helped by the fact the offense went from next to last in the NFL at 17.2 ppg to averaging 26.5. Zeke’s 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground, as well as his 363 yards receiving, was a big reason for the increased offensive production.
In 2017 Elliott only played in 10 games due to a suspension but rushed for 983 yards and caught passes for 269 more. Dallas was in the top ten in total defense and held opponents to 20.8 ppg.
Last season Zeke rushed for 1,491 yards, totaled 2,001 yards from scrimmage and scored 9 touchdowns. The Cowboys were once again in the top ten in both scoring defense and yards allowed.
During the 40 games he has played for Dallas Zeke has carried the football 868 times for 4,068 yards, caught 135 passes for 1,099 and has scored 34 touchdowns. During that time the Cowboys have won the time of possession every season, scored at least 21.4 points per game and now have a top ten defense.
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Many questioned the Dallas Cowboys’ owner and general manager Jerry Jones when he chose Ezekiel Elliott as the No. 4 pick in the 2016 draft, but it has been proven to be an outstanding decision. What Zeke brought to the offense certainly improved the Cowboys’ defense as well.