Is Ezekiel Elliott primed for a bounce-back season or will down trend continue in 2021?
The word coming from a number of players out of Dallas Cowboys mini-camp is the running back Ezekiel Elliott is coming back with a vengeance for the 2021 season. Last season, Elliott rushed for a career-low 979 yards while averaging a career-low 65.3 yards per game  the lowest in three seasons. Elliott also lost a career-high with five fumbles. Elliott has apparently turned those career-lows into motivations. Zeke looks great, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said. Hes in the best shape of his life. Looking fast. Everybodys seen the clips of him working out independently with his running back coach. His cuts, just how explosive he is. Excited to have a full year with him again and getting him healthy throughout the whole season.  And yet, Elliott was named by Bleacher Reports Kristopher Knox as the Cowboys player most likely to disappoint in 2021. Knox simply thinks Elliott has endured too much wear and tear to be dominant once again. He has carried the ball 1,413 times in five seasons while catching 241 passes, Knox writes. Hes also led the league in rushing attempts twice. The reality is that Elliotts 2020 performancewith and without Prescottis likely an accurate indication of where he is in his career. Elliott can still be an above-average running back. However, above-average doesnt quite justify the $13.7 million cap hit hes scheduled to carry in 2021.  Find more Cowboys coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.