On Friday the Cowboys hopped on a plane and headed for California to begin camp without #21. The team seems less than concerned as they hope to reach an agreement by week one. The owner of the team, Jerry Jones, has said that he has confidence in Zeke coming to terms with the organization sooner than later. Zeke may be charged up to $40,000 for each day of camp that he decides to miss.
If the Cowboy somehow begin the season without their man Zeke, it will definitely take a toll on future bets placed towards the Cowboys. The team had one of their better seasons in recent years last year, making it to the second round of the playoffs. A lot of this had to do with the production of their running back who will be entering his 4th season in the league. They opened up with 18-1 odds to win the Super Bowl.
Take a Hit Offensively
Expect those numbers to drop substantially if they have to play an extended amount of time without Elliott. This will also change the status of future bets for them to win the NFC east, where they currently sit at +110 favorites. The Eagles, who are a close second to win the division, will certainly be the new favorites if the Cowboys are without their golden boy. Odds in sportsbooks tend to fluctuate day to day, and expect that to continue depending on the status of Ezekiel Elliott.
The Dallas Cowboys are said to have sent an offer to Zeke, but his management is yet to respond or send over a counter offer. It seems unlikely that Elliott will take the same path of Le’veon Bell, the running back for the Steelers who sat out of the entire 2018 season.
Elliott put up monster numbers last season, and the Cowboys are sure to suffer without him. The running back had 1,434 yards on the ground and another 567 through the air. He was also able to find the end zone nine times.
If you plan on taking any future bets towards the Cowboys, it would be a smart idea to monitor the status of Elliott. The Cowboys would struggle offensively if they were to lose one of the top running backs in the league. Especially for a team that relies heavily on the run.
Besides their top receiver Amari Cooper, they are lacking with weapons on offense. Look for the team to give the wide out an astronomical number of targets if Zeke doesn’t suit up. The running back job would most likely be handed over to Tony Pollard if Zeke deicides to sit out week one. The rookie running back would have ginormous footsteps to follow if he was given the leading job.
The 22-year-old who played at Memphis University, spent the majority of his time at the wide receiver position. His numbers in college aren’t exactly overly impressive. He had under 1,000 yards rushing during his three-year tenure at the school.
Only time will tell if the Cowboys and Elliott will come to an agreement before the start of the season. They are definitely expected to do so, but you never know in an unpredictable league like the NFL. It’s sure to be said that part of the Cowboys concerns is the legal trouble that Zeke has faced in previous seasons. In 2017 Zeke served a 6-game suspension related to domestic violence allegations.
On the Hook
Elliott is scheduled to make $3.85 million in 2019, and $9.09 million in 2020 which would be the last year in his rookie contract. His average money earned during each season is $6.23 million, the tenth highest of all running backs. Zeke will look to secure a deal that puts him in the top three, if not the highest paid running back in the NFL.