On paper, the Dallas Cowboys look like one of the best teams in the NFC ahead of next season. They have two of the game’s best young players in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. They have a star receiver in Dez Bryant. Their offensive line is one of the best in the NFL. And while the defense is a work in progress, they have improved in recent years. They are trending in the right direction.
However, there is one big area where the Cowboys need to focus if they want to be successful in 2017. And that’s Ezekiel Elliott and his off-field problems. The star running back remains under investigation since last year, and on Sunday he had another incident with a bouncer outside a nightclub.
The first thing we can say about this whole situation? Yikes. This is not the kind of publicity Elliott or the Cowboys need. The running back has done everything he can to stay out of trouble, but it seems controversy keep following him. And even though this is his second year in the league, he needs to do a better job eliminating those distractions. They could the difference between becoming an all-time great, or a one-year wonder.
There is no doubt Elliott is a talented football player. I mean, he rushed for 1,631 yards as a rookie. That’s not an easy feat, and even though Dallas’ offensive line certainly contributed to his success, he was unstoppable on the open field and carried with the Cowboys’ offense more than once. However, he needs to stay on the field to be successful, and that’s going to be his biggest problem looking towards 2017. All signs indicate he won’t be able to play all 16 games this season.
Right now, the immediate future does not look for Elliott. The player himself said he knows he will get disciplined by the league thanks to his incident in 2016. And if we add this recent situation, it wouldn’t be surprising if the league does something more drastic with the 21-year-old. The NFL needs to do something, as we can see each and every year more and more players are having off-field problems. And that needs to stop.
Maybe it’s the league or maybe it’s the franchise, but something needs to be done. Elliott needs to start conducting better off the field. Otherwise, he might jeopardize his future solely for making bad decisions. Because the talent is clearly there to become one of the best players in the NFL this year. Will he take advantage of the chance? Only he has the answer.