The Dallas Cowboys started the 2017 season with high expectations, although those failed to materialize and they eventually bowed out of the NFL regular season. We have only just seen the 2017 season come to a close, but already we're thinking about what will happen in 2018, and one thing that looks sure to happen is the Cowboys will bounce back and make the playoffs. There will be one reason they can do that, and that is Ezekiel Elliott.
He had more than his fair share of off-field problems to deal with last season, and still put up great numbers. This summer, it's time for him to move on, and focus on becoming the number one running back in the NFL.
Elliott is a huge man, who is waiting to explode onto the NFL scene.
We've seen him put up some fantastic numbers over the past two seasons, but this year looks set to be his coming of age. We all saw how he looked after coming back from a six-game suspension last season, he looked ripped and ready to cause some serious damage.
He didn't score a touchdown on his return in the final two games of the regular season, but on both occasions, he had comfortably over 100 total yards. He showed his power and not only that, but we saw what his mindset was: he wanted to come back and prove a point, and that is exactly what he did.
This summer, he has nothing to worry about other than playing football, and that will be the difference maker with him, he can concentrate on nothing but football for the first time in his Cowboys career.
With quarterback Dak Prescott coming of age and starting to show he really is a genuine starting quarterback in the NFL, there is a lot for the Cowboys to look forward to.
Both Prescott and Elliott are in their early 20s and they are the face of this franchise now, if they go on to become genuine top players in this league, they will take the Cowboys right to the top.
Should the Dallas Cowboys not make the playoffs in 2018, they will be bitterly disappointed, but it's something they look almost certain to do. They have a very good squad on both sides of the football, and for the first time in their young careers, their two main young stars can focus on playing the best possible football that they can.
Those two have the potential to eventually take Dallas to the top, and this is reflected in the Cowboys currently being 18/1 with William Hill to win the Super Bowl.
Assuming nothing goes wrong over the summer, the Dallas Cowboys can head into the 2018 NFL season with their two young stars fully focused on playing football. For Ezekiel Elliott that will be especially important, and this looks to be the season where he explodes as a genuine top running back and takes the Dallas Cowboys a long way into the postseason.
