#2. Ezekiel Elliott, RB
I’m sure there will be more than a few of you that will disagree with me here that Ezekiel Elliott is my second highest ranked Cowboys player who is irreplaceable. But, any time a player is in MVP conversation and nearly breaks a rushing record that has lasted 30+ years, probably means you’re pretty important to the organization.
Ezekiel Elliott did that as a rookie and vastly improve the offensive efficiency for the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. He is a special talent, and you would be hard-pressed to find a player of his caliber anywhere in the NFL. His running style/skill set perfectly suits the strengths of the Cowboys offensive line, and he was a big reason why they were able to win so many close games in 2016.
If Elliott was out of the equation for some reason for any length of the time, the Cowboys would probably still have a decent running game, but it would be a huge downgrade. Darren McFadden proved he can carry the load in 2015, but that was two years ago and there’s no denying he doesn’t have the talent Elliott has.
Opposing defenses have to use an extra defender in the box to hopefully to slow Elliott down. This opens up things in the passing game for the WRs and Dak Prescott. Speaking of Prescott, with Elliott in the lineup, it takes a huge load off his shoulders by not having to carry the offense by himself.
The Cowboys might have had another 8-8 season in 2016 if not for Elliott, which speaks volumes to his talent and his irreplaceability to the organization.
I agree, maybe you should write about the 5 most indispensable players on special teams/defense since this batch was all offensive…my 5 on defensive/special teams…the GOAT Jeff Heath, Sean Lee, Dan Bailey, Chris Jones and Byron Jones
Thanks Donny, that’s not a bad idea.
Good top 5
I agree especially with the Zeke pick & can’t see the cowboys going anywhere without this guy, he can score from anywhere on the field, a block here, there,& it’s good night Irene.
for me it’s a toss up @ # 3 between Dez,Beasley,& Witten. for last season it would have to have been Beasley.