Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is the odds on favourite to clinch the offensive rookie of the year award for season 2016. Heck, he’ll likely pick up an MVP vote or two as well after running for 1,392 yards and 13 total touchdowns through his first thirteen games in the National Football League.
Elliott, along with fellow rookie and team quarterback Dak Prescott have rejuvenated the Dallas Cowboys – known as America’s team – into the loudmouth Super Bowl-contending team they once were. It’s a refreshing injection of youth and elitism to a franchise who had made the playoffs just once since the 2010 season.
Yet, for one reason or another, the Cowboys, who finished with a 4-12 record last year which netted themselves the fourth pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, almost went against Elliott at pick four.
Back in 2014, Dallas were the pride of the NFC East once again after winning their Wild Card playoff against the Detroit Lions, only to be denied another playoff win the week after by an infamous Dez Bryant ‘no catch’ against Green Bay.
The Cowboys went 12-4 in 2014, spearheaded by running back DeMarco Murray. Murray finished as the league’s top rusher and set franchise records in Dallas, beating Hall of Fame icon Emmitt Smith.
A free agent at the years end, Murray moved on to division rivals Philadelphia, leaving a discernible gap in the Cowboys’ depth chart at running back.
Another Cowboy who enjoyed a career best season in 2014 was cornerback Orlando Scandrick. He was on track to make the Pro Bowl that season, but was scraped from the ballot after a PED violation. Pro Football Focus ranked Scandrick as the tenth best cornerback in the league in 2014, ahead of more revered names Aqib Talib, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Joe Haden.
But on August 25, 2015, just a few weeks out from the season opener, Scandrick attempted a tackle on teammate Lucky Whitehead. He torn both the ACL and MCL in his right knee, missing the entire 2015 season as a result.
During their horrid 2015 season which also saw key injuries to quarterback Tony Romo and stud receiver Dez Bryant, plus the aforementioned departure of DeMarco Murray, they struggled immensely. Their defence, without Scandrick, wasn’t too dissimilar to the playoff-bound 2014 team. They did however, allow teams to march down the field late to tie or win the game. In seven of their twelve losses, that happened.
While the defence wasn’t a large variance from the team which ranked 19th in total defence throughout 2014, the Cowboys were still a long way off competing with the league’s best teams. After all, the last three Super Bowl Champions, Seattle, New England and the eventual 2015 winners, Denver, had all established successful defensive units.
We’ve already established that Dallas’ 2015 season was a write-off, but at least they had netted themselves the fourth overall pick. The return time on Scandrick’s knee injury was still unclear, and in hindsight it’s been a clear disruption for the defensive back having started just two of the Cowboys’ first six games this season.
Entering the draft, the Cowboys has the chance to add stability to their secondary on defence, which at the point was fronted by the serviceable yet erratic duo of Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne.
Draft experts agreed that Ezekiel Elliott would be a perfect fit for Dallas, however most predicted Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey would be their choice. He has earned consensus All-American honours in 2015, a two-time First team All-ACC starter and was rated the best defensive back in the draft pool.
Ramsey would be eventually be taken by Jacksonville just one pick after Dallas selected Elliott. CBS Sports writer Pete Prisco graded Dallas’ pick a ‘D’ in the aftermath of the draft, while another pundit stated he’d never pick Elliott ahead of Ramey.
The pick was a bold one, but on paper and soon in reality, it was a masterstroke. The NFL’s continual transition towards a pass heavy offense has left running backs largely in the cold and only once has a running back been taken higher than Elliott’s selection in the draft since 2009 – Trent Richardson in 2012.
A year removed from DeMarco’s Murray’s tenure in Dallas, Jerry Jones and his team just replicated the same formula. After all, the Cowboys have without question, the best offensive line in football, which for running backs, is a gift.
With a resume which included nearly 4000 rushing yards and 43 touchdowns at Ohio State, it was no secret that Elliott would have excelled with the Cowboys.
If Dallas had opted for Ramsey, who knows what would have happened. Maybe their defence would have improved, and Alfred Morris could have ran for over 1000 yards, but it’s lucky they didn’t.
Otherwise, we may have missed out on one of the greatest rookie seasons in football history.
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