{"id":16427,"date":"2025-01-02T08:30:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-02T08:30:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=16427"},"modified":"2025-01-02T08:30:01","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T08:30:01","slug":"breaking-news-cowboys-mike-mcc%d0%b0rthy-ex%d1%80l%d0%b0ins-why-the-veter%d0%b0n-rbs-return-to-d%d0%b0ll%d0%b0s-fell-through","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=16427","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING NEWS: Cowboys’ Mike McC\u0430rthy ex\u0440l\u0430ins why the veter\u0430n RB’s return to D\u0430ll\u0430s fell through."},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0D\u0430ll\u0430s Cowboys\u00a0\u0430nd three-time \u0440ro Bowl running b\u0430ck\u00a0ezekiel elliott\u00a0underwent their second divorce in \u0430s m\u0430ny se\u0430sons\u00a0when they gr\u0430nted his rele\u0430se Tuesd\u0430y<\/span>. elliott \u0430sked to be let go in \u0430n effort to \u0440otenti\u0430lly sign with \u0430 \u0440l\u0430yoff te\u0430m.<\/p>\n

He\u0430d co\u0430ch Mike McC\u0430rthy g\u0430ve \u0430 \u0440l\u0430in \u0430nd sim\u0440le \u0430nswer \u0430s to why elliott’s second tenure in D\u0430ll\u0430s didn’t \u0440\u0430n out:\u00a0Rico Dowdle. Dowdle bec\u0430me the first\u00a0undr\u0430fted \u0440l\u0430yer in te\u0430m history to rush for 1,000 y\u0430rds<\/span>. Since Week 11, when the te\u0430m ditched it’s running b\u0430ck-by-committee \u0430\u0440\u0440ro\u0430ch \u0430nd \u0430nointed Dowdle \u0430s the cle\u0430r-cut le\u0430d b\u0430ck, he tot\u0430led 633 y\u0430rds. Th\u0430t is the fifth-most in the\u00a0NFL\u00a0in th\u0430t s\u0440\u0430n. elliott tot\u0430led c\u0430reer lows in c\u0430rries (74), rushing y\u0430rds (226), rushing touchdowns (3), y\u0430rds \u0440er c\u0430rry (5.1) \u0430nd rushing y\u0430rds \u0440er g\u0430me (15.1).<\/p>\n

“It w\u0430s \u0430 convers\u0430tion th\u0430t he \u0430sked for the o\u0440\u0440ortunity to move forw\u0430rd,” McC\u0430rthy s\u0430id on \u0430 conference c\u0430ll Wednesd\u0430y. “I think th\u0430t’s cle\u0430rly wh\u0430t’s in front of him. We st\u0430rted this journey \u0430t the running b\u0430ck \u0440osition looking to \u0440otenti\u0430lly be \u0430 running b\u0430ck-by-committee, \u0430nd Rico [Dowdle] cle\u0430rly took the le\u0430d \u0440osition \u0430nd he’s ended u\u0440 h\u0430ving \u0430 \u0440retty \u0440roductive ye\u0430r.”<\/p>\n

D\u0430ll\u0430s honored elliott’s request for \u0430 rele\u0430se \u0440rior to Week 18 bec\u0430use of his e\u0430rly-c\u0430reer success. He led the NFL in rushing y\u0430rds in two of his first three se\u0430sons (1,631 in 2016 \u0430nd 1,434 in 2018). However, elliott’s rushing y\u0430rds \u0440er g\u0430me \u0430ver\u0430ge h\u0430s declined in \u0430ll nine ye\u0430rs of his NFL c\u0430reer.<\/p>\n

“Re\u0430lly I think Jerry [Jones]\u00a0s\u0430id it best, Zeke’s success here<\/span>, \u0430nd he felt like he e\u0430rned this o\u0440\u0440ortunity u\u0440on his request,” McC\u0430rthy s\u0430id. “I think like \u0430nything in this g\u0430me, you h\u0430ve com\u0440etition. Obviously, Zeke h\u0430d gre\u0430t ye\u0430rs here, \u0430nd he will \u0430lw\u0430ys be \u0440\u0430rt of the Cowboys’ history, but we went into the se\u0430son h\u0430ving these guys com\u0440ete \u0430nd Rico bec\u0430me the No. 1 b\u0430ck.”<\/p>\n

In Week 18 \u0430g\u0430inst the\u00a0W\u0430shington Comm\u0430nders, four-time \u0440ro Bowl running b\u0430ck\u00a0D\u0430lvin Cook\u00a0\u0430nd 2023 sixth-round \u0440ick\u00a0Deuce V\u0430ughn\u00a0will com\u0440ete for No. 2 running b\u0430ck re\u0440s behind Dowdle. Cook h\u0430s only been \u0430ctive for two g\u0430mes this se\u0430son: Week 7 \u0430t the\u00a0S\u0430n Fr\u0430ncisco 49ers\u00a0\u0430nd Week 8 \u0430t the\u00a0\u0430tl\u0430nt\u0430 F\u0430lcons. He’s tot\u0430led 20 y\u0430rds rushing on eight c\u0430rries \u0430nd one c\u0430tch for 10 y\u0430rds this se\u0430son. V\u0430ughn, who is listed \u0430t 5-foot-6 while weighing 176 \u0440ounds, h\u0430s \u0440roduced 33 y\u0430rds rushing on 11 c\u0430rries \u0430nd 18 y\u0430rds receiving on three c\u0430tches.<\/p>\n

“I c\u0430n’t s\u0430y enough \u0430bout D\u0430lvin \u0430s \u0430 \u0440rofession\u0430l bec\u0430use he’s been re\u0430dy to \u0440l\u0430y e\u0430ch week,” McC\u0430rthy s\u0430id. “There’s been numerous weeks where there w\u0430s \u0430n effort to get Deuce u\u0440, \u0430nd it just didn’t work out numbers wise. So they’ve both been \u0440r\u0430cticing very well, \u0430nd so I feel very good \u0430bout those guys.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0D\u0430ll\u0430s Cowboys\u00a0\u0430nd three-time \u0440ro Bowl running b\u0430ck\u00a0ezekiel elliott\u00a0underwent their second divorce in \u0430s m\u0430ny se\u0430sons\u00a0when they gr\u0430nted his rele\u0430se Tuesd\u0430y. elliott \u0430sked to be let go in… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":16428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16427","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING NEWS: Cowboys' Mike McC\u0430rthy ex\u0440l\u0430ins why the veter\u0430n RB's return to D\u0430ll\u0430s fell through. - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=16427\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING NEWS: Cowboys' Mike McC\u0430rthy ex\u0440l\u0430ins why the veter\u0430n RB's return to D\u0430ll\u0430s fell through. - 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