2 min read • June 09, 2022
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Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott’s numbers have progressively declined year to year since his stellar rookie campaign. Elliott’s latest poor season can be attributed to injury, which appears to be behind him, and he comes into 2022 with a SIC health score of a 93.
Elliott played through the majority of last season with a partially torn PCL.
The injury did not require surgery, as the team at Pro Football Docs said back when the injury initially happened on Nov. 7. He also missed 2 games with a calf injury in 2021.
PCL injuries are significant, especially for running backs, which explains the down year for Elliott. The former No. 4 overall pick saw his yards per carry decrease from 4.86 to 3.49 after the PCL injury.
In the short term, Elliott’s partially torn PCL will not hinder him anymore in 2022. Longterm, arthritis is a possibility for Elliott.
Elliott is likely to share carries with RB Tony Pollard in 2022. When running backs are entering the middle of their second contract and in their late 20s, they begin to decline due to the workload they’re dealt. Elliott’s first 56 games in the NFL, he averaged 96.5 rushing yards per game. In his last 32 games in the league, Elliott averaged 61.9 yards per game.
We believe Elliott will have a better year in 2022 than he did the season prior and all signs in the offseason point to that being true.
Elliott has been the center of much praise coming out of Cowboys’ OTAs. Head coach Mike McCarthy said he clocked Elliott running at 22 MPH, QB Dak Prescott took notice of a healthier Elliott, and explained his optimism to the media. The former Buckeye star said he feels like he has something to prove after the off-year in 2021 and should be in the minds of fantasy players who miss out on drafting the top RBs.
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Zeke says he partially tore his PCL this season. He says he won’t need a a procedure this offseason, but something he had to work through. “It’s my job.”
