Ezekiel Elliott

Ezekiel Elijah Elliott (born July 22, 1995), nicknamed "Zeke", is an American football running back for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning second-team All-American honors in 2015. Elliott was selected by the Cowboys fourth overall in the 2016 NFL draft. In eight seasons in the NFL, he was a three-time Pro Bowl, two-time All-Pro selection, and led the league in rushing yards in 2016 and 2018. Elliott has also played for the New England Patriots.

Early life
Elliott was born in Alton, Illinois, to a mother and father who were both athletes in college. His mother, the former Dawn Huff, was a high school state champion in three sports before attending the University of Missouri and running track there. His father, Stacy, was a linebacker for the Missouri football team and CEO of Fifth Down Enterprises. Elliott's maternal grandfather played basketball for Drake University. His uncle is Finnish professional basketball player Shawn Huff.

Despite his athletic pedigree, Elliott attended more academically driven John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri, where he was a three-sport star in football, basketball, and track and field. Elliott also played baseball. He played as a running back for the John Burroughs Bombers football team. As a junior in 2012, Elliott was named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch offensive player of the year after rushing for 1,802 yards and 34 touchdowns and recording 23 receptions for 401 yards and six scores. In his senior year, Elliott had 3,061 all-purpose yards and 50 total touchdowns, including 2,155 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns. He led the football team to three straight championship games, but lost all three.

Also a standout track and field athlete, Elliott was a state qualifier in sprinting and hurdling events. He capped his high school career by winning four state championships at the Missouri Class 3 state championships in $2 1/2$ hours (100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, 110-meter high hurdles and 300-meter hurdles). Elliott recorded career-best times of 10.95 seconds in the 100-meter dash, 22.05 seconds in the 200-meter dash, 13.77 seconds in the 110m hurdles and 37.52 seconds in the 300m hurdles. He was named the Gatorade Track Athlete of the Year in the state of Missouri.

Considered a four-star recruit by Scout.com, Elliott was listed as the No. 9 running back in the nation in 2013. He played in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Despite overwhelming support and pressure for Elliott to sign with his parents' alma mater, the University of Missouri, he decided to sign with Ohio State University.

College career
As a true freshman at Ohio State University in 2013, Elliott rushed for 262 yards on 30 carries with two touchdowns as a backup to starter Carlos Hyde, mostly playing as a gunner on special teams.

In 2014, with the departure of Hyde to the NFL, Elliott took over as the starter for the Buckeyes. During the season, Elliott was named to the Academic All-Big Ten Conference team. He rushed for over 100 yards six times during the scheduled season. In the 2014 Big Ten Championship Game against the Wisconsin Badgers, Elliott rushed for 220 yards on 20 carries for two touchdowns. The victory qualified Ohio State for the first-ever College Football Playoff. In the 2015 Sugar Bowl against #1 Alabama, Elliott ran for 230 yards on 20 carries in a hard-fought 42–35 victory where he was named the Offensive Player of the Game, including an 85-yard touchdown run to seal the win. Elliott then capped the Buckeyes' championship season by rushing for 246 yards on 36 carries and scoring four touchdowns against the Oregon Ducks. He was named the Offensive MVP of that game as well; it was the third most rushing yards ever by an Ohio State player.

In 2015, Elliott began the season by rushing for over 100 yards in 10 straight wins, including 274 against Indiana on October 3 (the second most all-time by an Ohio State player). However, the team suffered a 17–14 loss to Michigan State on November 21, 2015, and Elliott announced that he would enter the 2016 NFL draft. The following week, Elliott ran for 214 yards on 30 carries in a 42–13 Ohio State victory over rival Michigan in Ann Arbor, his fifth 200+ yard game. He ended his collegiate career with 149 yards and four touchdowns in a Fiesta Bowl victory over Notre Dame.

Elliott finished his career at Ohio State on several leaderboards. He was second in career rushing yards with 3,961 and yards per game with 101.6 (both behind only Archie Griffin), had the second and third most rushing yards in a season, and five of the top 20 rushing yards in a game. Elliott's 43 rushing touchdowns was fourth most all time, and his 23 in 2015 was third most in a season. His 12 100-yard rushing games in the 2015 season also tied Elliott with Eddie George for a school record, and the 22 such games Elliott amassed over his career was again second only to Griffin (as was his streak of 15 consecutive 100-yard games from 2014 to 2015). Elliott and George are the only Ohio State players with five 200-yard rushing games.

Individual awards
Elliott received numerous honors during his tenure at Ohio State. In 2014, Elliott was named the Offensive MVP of both the 2015 Sugar Bowl and the 2015 College Football Playoff National Championship Game.

Elliott's success at the end of the 2014 season made him a front-runner for the 2015 Heisman Trophy, though Elliott in fact finished eighth in the voting. After a successful regular season in which he gained 1,672 yards and 19 touchdowns, Elliott was named the 2015 Graham-George Offensive Player of the Year, 2015 Ameche-Dayne Running Back of the Year and was selected as Unanimous First Team All-Big Ten. In addition to the yearly awards, he was also named Big Ten Player of the Week twice during the 2015 season for his performances in Week 5 against Indiana, and in Week 13 against Michigan.

Pre-draft
Before the draft, Elliott was labeled the most complete back to enter the NFL since Adrian Peterson in 2007, and was predicted to be a top 10 selection. On a draft breakdown by NFL.com, he drew comparisons to Edgerrin James and was listed as a three-down back that had "rare combination of size, athleticism, pass-catching and blocking skills", and that he "should still come out of the gates as one of the most productive young running backs in the league".

2016 season
Elliott was selected in the first round with the fourth overall pick by the Dallas Cowboys in the 2016 NFL draft on April 28, 2016. He was the first running back selected in the draft that year. Elliott was widely regarded as an early favorite for the 2016 Offensive Rookie of the Year while playing behind what many agreed upon as the NFL's most dominant offensive line leading up to the 2016 season.

On May 18, 2016, Elliott signed his four-year rookie contract reportedly worth $24.9 million with a $16.3 million signing bonus.

Elliott was named the Cowboys' starting running back to begin the regular season, ahead of veterans Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden. During the narrow season-opening 20–19 loss to the Giants, he had 20 carries for 51 yards and scored his first NFL touchdown on an eight-yard run. In the next game against the Washington Redskins, Elliott had 21 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown but also fumbled twice, losing one of them, yet the Cowboys prevailed on the road 27–23. The following week against the Chicago Bears, he posted his first 100-yard game, rushing 30 times for 140 yards in the 31–17 victory.

During a Week 4 24–17 road victory over the San Francisco 49ers, Elliott had 23 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown. In the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he rushed 15 times for 134 yards and two rushing touchdowns, including a 60-yard touchdown, during the 28–14 victory. The following week against the Green Bay Packers, Elliott continued his four-game streak with over 100 yards after recording 28 carries for 157 yards in the 30–16 road victory.

After the ninth game of the 2016 season, he became the second Cowboys rookie to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season, after Tony Dorsett achieved the mark in 1977. Elliott also became the third running back to rush for 1,000 yards after just the ninth game of his career, joining Adrian Peterson and Eric Dickerson.

During a Week 10 35–30 road victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Elliott recorded 209 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns, including his first NFL receiving touchdown on an 83-yard pass from fellow rookie Dak Prescott, and a 32-yard run for the game-winning touchdown with nine seconds left. In the next game against the Baltimore Ravens, Elliott rushed for 97 yards and passed Tony Dorsett's Cowboys rookie rushing record on his second carry during the 27–17 victory.

During a Week 15 26–20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Elliott had 23 carries for 159 rushing yards and a touchdown. After scoring the touchdown, he jumped into an oversized Salvation Army Red Kettle, an unusual touchdown celebration. Since 1997 the Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day football game halftime show has traditionally kicked off the Red Kettle campaign. With that rushing touchdown, Elliott surpassed Tony Dorsett and Herschel Walker for the Cowboys rookie record. Because the Cowboys clinched the #1-seed in the NFC and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, Elliott rushed for 80 yards during the Week 16 42–21 victory over the Detroit Lions and did not play in the regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Elliott finished his rookie year as the NFL's top rusher with 1,631 yards, which was the 47th best season all-time, the third most by a rookie (behind Eric Dickerson's 1,808 in 1983 and George Rogers' 1,674 in 1981), and the youngest player to reach 1,600 yards. Elliott finished third with 15 touchdowns behind LeGarrette Blount and David Johnson. He tied Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, and Ickey Woods for the second most all-time by a rookie behind Eric Dickerson's 18. Elliott's 464 yards after contact ranked fourth among NFL running backs. Due to his successful season, Elliott was selected as a First-team All-Pro, and earned his first Pro Bowl, joining Dak Prescott as the first rookie running back and quarterback duo in NFL history to be selected. Elliott was also ranked seventh by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017 and was the highest ranked running back.

In his first NFL playoff game, Elliott had 22 carries for 125 yards during a 34–31 loss to the Packers in the Divisional Round, joining Duane Thomas as the only Cowboy rookie to rush for over 100 yards in a playoff game.

2017 season
On August 11, 2017, the NFL suspended Elliott for the first six games of the 2017 season for violating the personal conduct policy. His suspension stemmed from accusations of domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend on five occasions in 2016. NFL officials conducted a year-long investigation into the allegations, and though Elliott was never criminally charged, decided to suspend him. On August 16, Elliott announced that he would appeal the suspension. Although the suspension was upheld on September 6 by a league-appointed arbitrator, on September 8, a federal judge granted a request for injunction by the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), putting the suspension on hold indefinitely.

During the season-opening 19–3 victory over the Giants on NBC Sunday Night Football, Elliott had 24 carries for 104 yards. In the next game against the Denver Broncos, he had the worst game of his career statistically, being held to eight yards on nine carries during the 42–17 road loss.

On October 12, 2017, the Fifth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals announced that Elliot's suspension had been reinstated, meaning that he would have to serve the six-game suspension up from that point. Six days later, Elliott was granted a temporary restraining order, meaning that he would not have to serve his suspension from that point, allowing him to play in Week 7 against the 49ers. In that game, Elliott rushed for 147 yards and two touchdowns and had a 72-yard touchdown reception from Dak Prescott during a 40–10 road victory.

On October 30, Judge Katherine Polk Failla of the New York Southern District Court, denied Elliott's request for a preliminary injunction, which reinstated the six-game suspension. The following day, the NFLPA filed an emergency motion for the injunction. On November 3, Elliott was once again granted a stay by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which delayed the suspension.

On November 9, the suspension was once again reinstated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Three days afterward, Elliott decided to accept the suspension and leave the country to train for a little while. On November 15, he officially announced that he had withdrawn from another appeal attempt. During his suspension, Elliott had been training and rehabbing his hamstrings in Mexico before his reinstatement. Elliott returned in Week 16 during a must-win situation against the Seattle Seahawks, where he rushed for 97 yards on 24 carries. The Cowboys lost, 21–12, and were eliminated from playoff contention. In the regular season finale against the Eagles, Elliott had 27 carries for 103 yards in the 6–0 shutout road victory.

Elliott finished his second professional season with 242 carries for 983 yards and seven touchdowns to go along with 26 receptions for 269 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games and starts. He was ranked 54th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

2018 season
In the first two games of the season, Elliott recorded a rushing touchdown in both games against the Carolina Panthers and Giants. During a Week 3 24–13 road loss to the Seahawks, he rushed for 127 yards. In the next game against the Lions, Elliott had 25 carries for 152 yards to go along with four receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown during the narrow 26–24 victory. During a Week 6 40–7 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, he ran for 106 yards and a touchdown, becoming the 12th Cowboy to reach 25 touchdowns on the ground as well as the fastest to do so, three games faster than Emmitt Smith. During a Week 10 27–20 road victory over the Eagles, Elliott had 187 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving). He broke 150 yards rushing for the fifth time in his career, surpassing DeMarco Murray for third-most in franchise history. In the next game against the Atlanta Falcons, Elliott recorded 201 scrimmage yards and a touchdown during the 22–19 road victory, his fourth game over 200, tying him with DeMarco Murray and Emmitt Smith for most in franchise history. Elliott continued his success the following week against the Redskins, recording 26 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown in the 31–26 victory, eclipsing 1,000 yards on the year, the second time of his career, tied for third (along with DeMarco Murray and Calvin Hill) most in Cowboys' history. During a narrow Week 13 13–10 road victory over the New Orleans Saints on Thursday Night Football, Elliott recorded 136 scrimmage yards and a receiving touchdown.

Elliott finished the 2018 season with 304 carries for 1,434 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 77 receptions for 567 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games and starts. He won the rushing title for the second time in three seasons. Elliott earned a second Pro Bowl nomination for his 2018 season.

The Cowboys finished atop the NFC East with a 10–6 and made the playoffs as the #4-seed for the NFC Playoffs. In the Wild Card Round against the Seattle Seahawks, Elliott rushed 26 times for 137 yards and a touchdown during the narrow 24–22 victory. In the Divisional Round against the Los Angeles Rams, he had 20 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown during the 30–22 road loss. Elliott was ranked 18th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2019.

2019 season
On April 17, 2019, the Cowboys picked up the fifth-year option on Elliott's contract. However, he began holding out during training camp, demanding a contract extension. On September 4, Elliott signed a six-year extension with the Cowboys worth $90 million, with $50 million guaranteed, keeping him under contract through the 2026 season.

In Elliott's first game back, he rushed 13 times for 53 yards and a touchdown in the 35–17 opening game victory over the Giants. In the next game against the Redskins, Elliott rushed 23 times for 111 yards and a touchdown during the 31–21 road victory. The following week against the Miami Dolphins, he rushed 19 times for 125 yards in the 31–6 victory. During a narrow Week 6 24–22 road loss to the New York Jets, Elliott rushed 28 times for 105 yards and a touchdown and caught five passes for 48 yards. In the next game against the Eagles, he rushed 22 times for 111 yards and a touchdown and caught six passes for 36 yards during the 37–10 victory. After a Week 8 bye, the Cowboys faced the Giants on Monday Night Football. In that game, Elliott rushed 23 times for 139 yards during the 37–18 road victory. During a Week 14 31–24 road loss to the Bears on Thursday Night Football, he rushed 19 times for 84 yards and two touchdowns while also reaching 1,000 rushing yards on the season. During a Week 15 44–21 victory over the Rams, Elliott rushed 24 times for 117 yards and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 43 yards In the regular-season finale against the Redskins, he had 18 carries for 122 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for two yards and a touchdown during the 47–16 victory. Elliott earned his third Pro Bowl nomination for 2019.

Elliott finished the 2019 season with 301 carries for 1,357 yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with 54 receptions for 420 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games and starts. He was ranked 24th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.

2020 season
During the season-opening 20–17 loss to the Rams on NBC Sunday Night Football, Elliott rushed 22 times for 96 yards and a touchdown and caught three passes for 31 yards and a touchdown. In the next game against the Falcons, he had 22 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown to go along with six receptions for 33 yards during the narrow 40–39 comeback victory. Three weeks later against the Giants, Elliott recorded 105 yards from scrimmage and two rushing touchdowns during the 37–34 victory.

During a Week 11 31–28 road victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Elliott had his first 100-yard game of the season, rushing for 103 yards and recorded two receptions for 11 yards and a touchdown. Elliott missed his first career game due to injury in Week 15 against the 49ers, whom the Cowboys went on to beat 41–33. During a Week 16 37–17 victory over the Eagles, Elliott had 19 carries for 105 yards.

Elliott finished the 2020 season with 244 carries for 979 yards and six touchdowns to go along with 52 receptions for 338 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games and starts.

2021 season
On August 27, 2021, the Cowboys restructured Elliott's contract, converting $8.6 million of his base salary for the upcoming season into a signing bonus to save some salary cap space. Despite dealing with lingering knee and ankle injuries during the majority of the season, Elliott was still able to start in all 17 games and rushed 237 times for 1,002 yards and 10 touchdowns while also recording 47 receptions for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He had two games going over the 100-yard mark and four games with multiple touchdowns.

In the Wild Card Round against the 49ers, Elliott rushed for 31 yards during the 23–17 loss. After the game, it was revealed that Elliott was playing with a partially torn PCL, which he suffered in Week 4 against the Panthers.

2022 season
Elliot finished the 2022 season with 231 carries for 876 yards and 12 touchdowns to go along with 17 receptions for 92 yards in 15 games and 14 starts. Seven of his 12 rushing touchdowns were scored from the one-yard line, and 10 were scored from within six yards of the goal-line.

In the Divisional Round against the 49ers, Elliott rushed for 26 yards and played center for one play during the 19–12 road loss.

The Cowboys released Elliott on March 15, 2023.

New England Patriots
On August 16, 2023, Elliott signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots. Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien stated that Elliott would be used primarily in third-down and red zone situations behind starter Rhamondre Stevenson. During a 21–18 road victory over the Steelers in Week 14, Elliott had 140 scrimmage yards and a receiving touchdown.

Elliott finished the 2023 season with 184 carries for 648 yards and three touchdowns to go along with 51 receptions for 313 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games and five starts.

Dallas Cowboys (second stint)
On April 30, 2024, Elliott signed a one-year contract to return to the Dallas Cowboys.

Personal life
Elliott bought his parents, Dawn and Stacy Elliott, a new house after signing his rookie contracts. He studied marketing at Ohio State University.

In August 2020, Elliott became a shareholder of OnCore Golf Technology, Inc., a manufacturer of golf balls based in Buffalo, New York.

In May 2021, Elliott was cited by police after one of his dogs bit and injured two people in his Frisco, Texas neighborhood.