Ezekiel Elliott BREAKING: Will Practice Today with Knee Brace for Cowboys at Packers
FRISCO - Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott sat out the Monday workout to begin the week here inside The Star, and at one point he was not sure if he would practice during the next scheduled workout on Wednesday, either.
But now a Wednesday morning update from here inside The Star.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said Elliott will join Malik Hooker and Sam Williams in a return to practice today, with Anthony Barr a limited possibility.
“We’ll watch the reps with Zeke,'' McCarthy said, adding, “He told me he’s fine and ready to go. … Everything looks positive.”
The Cowboys meanwhile won’t activate James Washington’s 21-day practice window today, McCarthy said.
“James is very, very close to being ready,'' he said, with the idea being that Washington's move will happen next week.
Regarding Elliott: After having him sit out the Week 8 win over Chicago and then benefiting from rest during the bye week, Dallas believes he will play Sunday in Green Bay, with owner Jerry Jones saying, “It’s anticipated he’ll be ready to go.”
And Zeke believes the same thing - with an asterisk.
If he does return to the lineup to claim his role in the Dallas offense in Week 10, Elliott is telling the Star-Telegram he will wear a knee brace.
The swelling has reportedly been reduced, and maybe the discomfort of the knee sprain has as well. But as always, it is Elliott's position that he doesn't want to be "soft,'' and the two-time rushing champion will therefore likely find a way to go ... with the brace being used in part as a stabilizing force and maybe in part as a psychological security blanket.
Elliott played much of last season with a PCL sprain and wore a knee brace then for the first time since high school, saying at the time, “It just kind of holds me in place. A lot of times when I’m kind of getting gimpy or banged up is when I kind of get rolled up, rolled on, or just land on my knee.”
The 6-2 Cowboys view Elliott as an important piece of the puzzle, this week at Lambeau Field ... and beyond. "We go as Zeke goes,'' Jones likes to say.
In Elliott’s absence, Tony Pollard burned the Bears in a 49-29 win with 131 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Can Pollard do it again if needed? Maybe. But that's not Dallas' plan - position coach Skip Peete said, "You need both.”
And that's not Ezekiel Elliott's plan, either.
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