Ezekiel Elliott focused on expanding role in passing game during offseason
Ezekiel Elliott is trying to add a new dimension to his game ahead of the 2020 season.
Elliott said Monday that he spent extra time in the offseason working on his pass-catching ability, and stated that he wants to make himself more involved out of the backfield in the Dallas Cowboys’ passing game.
Ezekiel Elliott said he spent extra time in the offseason working on his pass-catching. “Just trying to evolve my game (catching out of the backfield and from in the slot) just so I can be a more viable source in the passing game.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 17, 2020
The Cowboys do use Elliott in the passing game, but he’s essentially in the middle of the road in the grand scheme of running backs. He caught 54 passes for 420 yards and two touchdowns in 2019, with that yardage good for 12th among all NFL running backs. There’s nothing particularly wrong with those numbers, but Elliott clearly wants more.
The 25-year-old may also be motivated by some recent criticism he’s been getting. He ran for 1,357 yards last season, so improving his output in the passing game could push him toward 2,000 all-purpose yards for the second time in his NFL career and silence some doubters at the same time.
