It’s official. Ezekiel Elliott is the best rookie running back the Dallas Cowboys have ever had. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft needed only 10 games to eclipse Tony Dorsett’s mark of 1,007 yards, set back in 1977.
Ezekiel Elliott is officially the best rookie Cowboys running back ever
Elliott broke Tony Dorsett’s rookie record on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Elliott rolled into Sunday’s matchup with the Baltimore Ravens at 1,005 yards for the 8-1 Cowboys. He broke the franchise record with his second carry of the game, a 2-yard run.
Dorsett was on the sideline on Sunday and eager to pass the torch to the next great Dallas tailback.
The Cowboy tailback’s role on the NFL’s best team has made him one of the biggest stories of the 2016 season. In only nine games as a professional, he’s become the frontrunner for the league’s MVP award.
Elliott can now chase Eric Dickerson’s NFL rookie record of 1,808 yards, set in 1983. Dickerson was complimentary of the young back when pressed about Elliott, but is confident his record will stand for at least one more season.
“Zeke does a great job of picking and choosing his holes, he really does,” Dickerson told reporters. “And the offensive line, they stopped everybody at the line of scrimmage. But is he gonna break that record? No, he ain’t gonna break that record. That record’s safe.”
Despite Dickerson’s dismissal, the Dallas back has a legitimate path to breaking the 33-year-old record. At his current pace, he would fall just shy of 1,800 yards over the course of a full season. With a few more big games, Elliott can put a stamp on one of the greatest debuts in NFL history.
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