Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott was left off the roster for Sunday’s game in Atlanta against the Falcons in NFL Week 9.

Elliott, who returned to the team this season after being with the New England Patriots, has had a year of low productivity with just 148 total rushing yards, averaging a paltry 3.1 yards per carry.

Many assume that Elliott’s absence for this week’s game is due to the return of Dalvin Cook, who was out for a few weeks due to injury, but apparently the decision goes beyond his lack of productivity, as several details alerted the coaching staff, including delays in team meetings during the week.

The reason for Zeke Elliott’s decline

Although the reasons for his separation from the team have not been officially disclosed, it is said that Elliott did not make the trip to Atlanta due to “disciplinary reasons”, after a few weeks ago he questioned the coaching staff about his lack of participation in plays during games.

In addition, some sources cite that Elliott has been distracted throughout the entire NFL season, with delays in team meetings and some absences.

But apparently what exhausted the patience of the coaches was Elliott’s absence from Friday’s meeting, the last one before the trip to Atlanta, so the decision was made not to include him in the roster for Sunday’s game.

The move was reportedly not taken overnight, but has been in the works for several weeks, until the decision was made that the best thing for the team was for him not to make the trip to Atlanta.

Days after speaking with the coaches, it seemed that he had a greater participation in the game against the Detroit Lions, where he carried the ball eight times for a poor gain of 17 yards and an average of 2.1 yards per play.

Elliott’s possible departure from the Cowboys

Since his arrival at the team, the ground attack has not improved in the slightest, and Dallas has the worst ground attack in the entire league with just 74.1 yards per game and only three touchdowns.

One of the possible reasons this decision has taken so long is his good relationship with quarterback Dak Prescott, who has also not had his best season, in a year that has been disappointing for the Cowboys, whose year hangs in the balance with a losing record of 3-4.

If Dallas does not get a good result this Sunday at the Falcons, things will go from bad to worse, but if they get a win and, above all, if the ground attack looks better without Elliott, it would be no surprise at all if he is left off the roster in the following days.