Jesse Reed
The 2017 season wasn’t a banner one for Jerry Jones’ Dallas Cowboys and second-year running back Ezekiel Elliott, who spent six games on suspension.
The team did finish above .500 but missed the playoffs and struggled down the stretch, especially during Elliott’s suspension. In particular, second-year quarterback Dak Prescott was the person most affected during that second half as he worked through a dreaded sophomore slump.
Looking back at the season, Jones reflected on how Elliott’s suspension hurt the entire team and noted the young running back needs to “learn” and “evolve” going forward.
“Well, again, we’ve gone through quite a lot relative to seeing what we’ve got when he’s playing and seeing what he’s got when he’s not playing,” Jones said on his radio show on 105.3 the Fan Tuesday (h/t Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram). “He’s an integral part. A lot of people depend on him. I think those are so vivid in our minds that you don’t have to do too much other than maybe point your finger and say we want to not have this as part of what we’re dealing with in the off-season and on a going-forward basis.
“In general, he would be, I would, we all would be the first to tell you that he’s got to do what every player that’s been a part of the Cowboys do. They evolve. In their roughest years relative to having unintended consequences happen either due to your behavior or judgment usually happens in those first couple of years you’re in the league. So, we’ve got to learn from it.”
Elliott spent most of the time he was suspended training at a resort near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He showed up for work again clearly having benefited physically from the experience, though reports also emerged that he had spent extensive time partying with women and cracking open many bottles of expensive champagne.
Even missing six games, Elliott finished the season with 1,252 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. If he can stay healthy and avoids trouble in the future, the Cowboys will continue to be a force in the NFC East.
