In a normal week, the Dallas Cowboys players and coaches would right now be preparing for a game. Instead, they are enjoying some much-needed time off with their Week 7 bye.
There is a fairly unanimous sentiment around this bye week: it could not have come at a better time for this organization.
You don’t need me to tell you that things are not going well. The owner of the team threatening to fire reporters is proof enough.
Between that circus, the relentless injury bug, and the roster issues, this off-week was desperately needed. It will give the coaching staff a great chance to reevaluate, above all else, and that’s what we’re here to discuss.
At 3-3 with the San Francisco 49ers on deck and injured players healing, some playing-time changes are needed.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at two Cowboys players, one offensive and one defensive, who will see a decreasing role following this bye week.
Ezekiel Elliott: RB1 Debate Is No Longer
Let me start by saying this: I love Ezekiel Elliott. He is one of my all-time favorite Cowboys players. I ran around the house when we drafted him in 2016. At the same time, we must be able to admit that he simply is not the answer at running back in 2024.
Some may ask, is that because of performance struggles, his age, or the young emerging talent in front of him?
The answer is all of the above.
First off, we can’t pretend anymore that a lack of opportunities, a need to get “warmed-up,” or offensive line problems is the cause of Elliott’s slow start.
It’s his declining ability in 2024. That’s why he is struggling to make the same impact this year.
He is facing career lows in rushing success rate, yards per carry, and yards per game. I mean for crying out loud, his longest rush on the season in just under 40 attempts is a nine-yard rush.
Secondly, the reason we’re at this unfortunate crossroads with “Zeke” is because of his age.
At 29 years old with over 2100 carries under his belt, sustained performance is impossible.
Now, the last and perhaps biggest reason why Elliott’s continued chance at the RB1 spot is failing is because of the other guy getting snaps at the position.
Rico Dowdle is clearly the Cowboys’ best running back, and we need to see Mike McCarthy and the offense recognize that fact in their Week 8 matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.
In Week 5, Dowdle doubled Elliott’s best yardage performance of the year with a career-best game. It is simply not a debate between these two anymore.
Elliott is a worse running back than Dowdle at this point; perhaps this bye week will allow the coaching staff to shake off the nostalgia and realize that fact.
Amani Oruwariye: Full Strength = Fewer Snaps
Way back in 2019, the Detroit Lions took a 5th round flier on Penn State Cornerback, Amani Oruwariye. Half a decade and three teams later, Oruwariye played a massive role against the Lions as a member of the Cowboys secondary.
In Week 6, this veteran cornerback participated in the most defensive snaps of any Cowboys player on the roster.
With 65 defensive snaps, Oruwariye was in front of Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown’s 63, and Safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson’s 57 and 56.
This has not just been a one-week enigma, by the way. Since Week 4, Oruwariye has been either in the top ten or top five in total Cowboys defensive snaps. In short, he has taken on a major role in the last few weeks.
Unfortunately for him, his chances are likely to quickly diminish once Dallas returns from their bye week.
This is because Oruwariye became a starter through injuries to DaRon Bland and rookie Caelen Carson, as well as the performance struggles of Andrew Booth Jr.
I would be shocked if we didn’t see both Bland and Carson return to the field in Week 8.
If that happened, he would fall from the second corner behind Diggs to fourth on the depth chart. There is not a chance he’d start over the aforementioned Diggs, Bland, Carson, or Jourdan Lewis.
It’s a business, and opportunities come and go; it just so happens that Oruwariye’s opportunity is coming to an end in Dallas.
This Cowboys player was a fun story for a few weeks, but it’s back to being a depth piece going forward.