Ezekiel Elliott Misses Dallas Cowboys Practice; Is RB's Knee OK?

FRISCO - Initial indications regarding Ezekiel Elliott not practicing during the media-open portion of Dallas Cowboys practice here inside The Star on Wednesday?

A "veteran's rest day.''

Then the official NFL practice/injury report came out ... and the star running back appears on the list as a "did-not-practice'' due to something being not quite right with his knee.

Where is the truth?

Somewhere, it seems, in the middle.

"To be honest with you, I feel three times better than I did Monday," Zeke said to the media later on Wednesday.

For Elliott - who as it happens was named the NFL "FedEx Ground Player of the Week'' after his 20 carries gained 143 yards and a TD for Dallas in Sunday’s Week 4 win over the Panthers - is can probably be labeled a "load-management'' day, as there is undeniably some knee stiffness that requires rest ... but nothing serious enough to preclude the two-time NFL rushing champ from helping the 3-1 Cowboys in Sunday's Week 5 visit from the New York Giants.

"Just dealing with a little knee injury,'' Elliott said. "It was a little stiff, (but) a lot of the stiffness is gone. So just kind of taking the load off of it, giving it time to heal, getting it right for this weekend.

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Elliott suggested he plans returning to practice Thursday in preparation to play against the Giants. And he also reminded the audience of his season-long "brotherhood'' theme, how it's not "about Zeke,'' but rather, about the team.

The offensive line, he said, "is the reason we were so successful on the ground. I don’t like making it about, ‘Oh, I did this to make a statement because you guys (the media) thought I was shitty.’ That’s not why I come out here and play. ... I come out here to play to help my team win. I come out and play to support my brothers.''

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