Cloud-free Elliott seeks to join chorus of Cowboys leaders
FRISCO, Texas — Ezekiel Elliott doesn’t pretend that vocal leadership comes naturally for him.
The Dallas Cowboys running back is going to try anyway now that fellow stars Jason Witten and Dez Bryant are gone, and now that his focus is solely on football following a tumultuous second year in the NFL.
Elliott is no longer under investigation by the league over domestic violence allegations that led to a two-month court fight of a six-game suspension he ultimately had to serve starting halfway through last season.
The ban cost him a chance to defend the NFL rushing title he won as a rookie, and helped keep the Cowboys out of the playoffs a year after he and quarterback Dak Prescott, the NFL offensive rookie of the year in 2016, led Dallas to the best record in the NFC.
A quiet offseason reached another benchmark Thursday with the final practice of minicamp. In another six weeks, training camp will be underway in California.
“I think the biggest thing I accomplished is just developing more leadership skills,” Elliott said. “That’s really what I focused on coming into this year, just becoming a better vocal leader with the loss of Dez and Witt.”
Running backs coach Gary Brown has been pushing the idea with Elliott, who is going into his third season after the Cowboys drafted the former Ohio State star fourth overall in 2016.
The loss of leadership is actually about more than Witten, the tight end who retired after 15 seasons, or the outspoken Bryant, who was released in a cost-cutting move. Veterans Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris aren’t in the running backs room anymore.
Elliott isn’t the oldest running back at the position for the Cowboys. But he’s the most experienced and most accomplished. Elliott still led the NFL in rushing yards per game last year.
“It’s a little bit tougher for me to be a vocal leader,” he said. “I like to go out there and work. I think it takes a little bit more extra effort to kind of encourage guys to come with you so it’s definitely something I have to work on.”
With the domestic allegations looming during the offseason last year, Elliott had a hard time keeping himself out of the headlines.
There was video of him pulling down a woman’s shirt during a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Although he wasn’t disciplined for that by the NFL, the incident was mentioned in the letter detailing his punishment. Elliott also had his second minor car accident in his two years with the Cowboys.
The 22-year-old hasn’t given anyone reason to question his judgment so far this offseason.
“I think it changed him a lot,” Brown said of events over the past year. “I think that he’s realized that this is a very special opportunity that he has, especially to be one of the better backs, one of the best backs to ever play. He has that opportunity, and I think he understands that now.”