FRISCO, Texas -- That Ezekiel Elliott will be available to play this Sunday against the New York Giants is good news for the Dallas Cowboys. But they are still in a holding pattern.
A U.S. District Court judge will rule Friday whether to uphold a temporary restraining order to prevent the six-game suspension that was upheld by arbitrator Harold Henderson on Tuesday night. The Cowboys will have their best offensive weapon for a critical NFC East game, which could set the tempo for the season.
Elliott led the NFL in rushing as a rookie in 2016 with 1,631 yards. He is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball.
Elliott has had moderate success against the Giants. In the 2016 season opener, Elliott had 20 carries for 51 yards. In the teams' second meeting, he had 24 carries for 107 yards and a touchdown. Dallas scored only two touchdowns in two games against New York’s stingy defense in 2016, so Elliott is needed.
The Cowboys prepared through training camp and the preseason as if Elliott would be available to play in Week 1. That’s why he was limited to 10 snaps in his lone preseason action against the Oakland Raiders, carrying six times for 18 yards and catching two passes for 6 yards.
Coach Jason Garrett did not believe it was necessary to get Elliott a lot of reps in preseason action, but he made sure Elliott got the requisite practice work.
Coaches and teammates have praised Elliott’s focus on the field since his six-game suspension for violating the league's personal conduct policy was announced on Aug. 11. He has not spoken publicly since the Cowboys’ June minicamp, but everybody from Garrett to quarterback Dak Prescott to receiver Dez Bryant has said Elliott has been the same teammate.
If Elliott is unable to play the first six games of the season, the Cowboys remain confident they would have success with Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris and Rod Smith out of the backfield. In 2015, McFadden finished fourth in the NFL in rushing. Morris has three 1,000-yard seasons to his credit and looked rejuvenated over the summer. Smith is an unknown, but he took more snaps than Morris in training camp.
But none of those guys are Elliott.
As good as the Cowboys’ offensive line is with three All-Pros in Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin, Elliott can make them look better by making tacklers miss. He can turn a 2-yard gain into a 6-yard gain and a 10-yard gain into a 40-yard gain. He makes Prescott’s life easier as well because teams have to concentrate on stopping the run, which makes Bryant’s life easier, too.
So for Week 1, facing a team that beat the Cowboys twice last season, Elliott's availability is good news.
But if Elliott’s suspension is upheld and he is forced to miss six games, then the advantage of having him play in an important division matchup is washed away by the fact he would miss the Oct. 29 meeting against the Washington Redskins.
In an NFC East race that should be tight, every division game is important, which is why Elliott’s availability against the Giants matters.
It might also make it a must-win game for the Cowboys, considering they don’t know if they'll have him for Week 8 against Washington.