Ezekiel Elliott might not be on a snap count Sunday against the New York Giants after all.
According to head coach Jason Garrett, the Dallas Cowboys will wait at least another day before deciding whether Elliott should be limited in Week 1 after missing five weeks of preseason work during a contract holdout.
Elliott reported to the team Wednesday, signed a $90 million contract and was in meetings from sunrise to sunset to get up to speed on some of the essentials of the team’s game plan for the Giants. He was officially limited in practice, but Garrett said that was by design.
“You just want to have a plan and you recognize where he’s been,” Garrett said. “There’s no question he’s been working out, he’s in good shape, his weight’s good, all of that. But again he hasn’t been practicing against pro football players so you just work your way back into it. He’s an experienced guy. He’s played a lot of football for us, so we just use our best judgement based on what we see, his feedback, what he says to us — how he feels — all of that. You just take it step by step.”
Garrett said Thursday that the next two days will be about nudging Elliott forward and “just seeing what he can handle.”
Elliott said on Wednesday he’s determined to prove his worth as the highest-paid running back in the NFL. Rookie Tony Pollard, who worked all summer with the first-team offense, could still play a major role against the Giants, Garrett said.