Yesterday, Bleacher Report did a piece listing something risky that each NFL team is doing heading into the 2019 season. For the Dallas Cowboys, they’re concerned with the Cowboys relying on Ezekiel Elliott as a workhorse running back in 2019.
When you look at Ezekiel Elliott’s track record in the NFL, it’s hard to wonder why they would consider it a risky proposition to rely on Elliott in the running game. The basic assumption they’re making is that Elliott’s offseason altercation from a couple of weeks ago could result in a suspension for the two-time NFL rushing leader.
To me, that’s a huge assumption. Even if Elliott sits a couple of games early in the season, it won’t tank the Dallas Cowboys chances of making a deep playoff run. With Tony Pollard, Mike Weber, Jamize Olawale and Darius Jackson, the Dallas Cowboys could make it work for a short time. But I don’t think Ezekiel Elliott gets suspended.
If Elliott carrying the load for the Cowboys isn’t the riskiest thing about this team heading into 2019, then what is? To me, it’s Kellen Moore.
First of all, count me as one of the members of Cowboys Nation who is pretty excited about the prospects of Kellen Moore coaching the offense for the Dallas Cowboys in 2019. After several years of Scott Linehan running the show, the Cowboys were in desperate need of a change at offensive coordinator. I detailed a couple of weeks ago the types of things we might see from a Kellen Moore offense. However, Moore has only been a coach for one season and that was as the quarterbacks coach for the Dallas Cowboys.
Everything we’ve heard about Kellen Moore is that he’s got a very bright football mind and would excel as an NFL coach when given the opportunity. The Dallas Cowboys certainly believe in his ability as a coach and offensive mind or they wouldn’t have handed the offensive keys of a contender to Moore. As excited as I am about what it sounds like he’s going to do for the offense moving forward, everything we know is mostly circumstantial at this point. Most of his offensive philosophy is yet to be revealed, and won’t be until the Cowboys start playing regular-season games.
As important as Kellen Moore’s philosophy will be for the Dallas Cowboys success, Moore’s ability to formulate a game plan and his ability to adjust in-game that will have a bigger bearing on the Cowboys offensive potential in 2019. If Moore takes a similar approach to offense that Scott Linehan did or shows an inability to adjust in-game, then it could make for similar results.
The Dallas Cowboys have a built a roster that should have a lot of success in 2019, especially on the offensive side of the football. The Cowboys took a huge risk by giving Kellen Moore the opportunity to display his offensive prowess as the Cowboys offensive coordinator. If it doesn’t work out, it becomes a wasted season for this roster, and more importantly, it’s a wasted season for Dak Prescott.
With a team that may contend for a Super Bowl this year, that’s a lot of weight to put on a second-year coach. If things don’t go well for the Dallas Cowboys in 2019, it could lead to massive changes on the coaching staff that would likely leave Jason Garrett looking for work elsewhere.
