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Ezekiel Elliott remains one of last bellwether backs in NFL

In an era that has seen NFL teams shy away from primary running backs, Ezekiel Elliott is leading the way by being historic

DALLAS — The Pro Bowl announcements are now out and it's no surprise that Dallas Cowboys’ running back Ezekiel Elliott is among the five players named from Dallas.

In addition to another superlative seasons, Elliott has had quite the start to his NFL career overall. Zeke is on the verge of his second rushing title in three seasons as long as he continues to put space between himself and Todd Gurley.

No running back has taken home to title twice in a three-year span since LaDainian Tomlinson did it by winning it back-to-back in 2006 and 2007. Elliott is also on pace to match a few running back legends for yards per game average.

That is quite the company for the third year running back from Ohio State. Elliott has been making history at almost every turn for Dallas. Setting the franchise’s rookie rushing record was just a start for Elliott.

For running backs since 1999, Elliott has the eighth most touches (980) in their first three seasons. He is projected to have 1,206 touches through his three campaigns which would be second to Tomlinson. His 5,138 yards from scrimmage are currently seventh most on that list. If those figures were extrapolated for a full three seasons, that number grows to 6,323 yards. That number would surpass Tomlinson by 178 yards on 56 fewer touches for the most all time.

Elliott has really shown his worth after being the 4th overall selection in the 2016 NFL Draft, despite how some view the position as a whole. The fact of the matter is that the Cowboys offense was built different than most teams in the NFL. The Cowboys place a premium on running the football, controlling the clock, and playing keepaway from opposing offenses by imposing their will. That starts with the men in the trenches and Elliott.

As much as Elliott has been used in this offense, he still is nowhere near the number that DeMarco Murray accumulated in 2014. In his final year as a Cowboys, Murray touched the ball 449 times for 2,261 yards. Both are single season records for a Cowboys' ball carrier. Murray's 2014 season functions as a blueprint for what the Cowboys hope to achieve with a running back featured offense.

Elliott is projected to have 409 touches for 2,162 yards. Neither of which would give him the team records, but that is still quite the workload and shows that Dallas is committed to riding Zeke as far as he'll take them. These projections are based on a full game’s worth of touches over the Cowboys final two games.

Despite the fact that Elliott would likely gladly take a couple more full efforts, the workload is an important reason for why the Cowboys should feel some urgency to clinch the division on Sunday instead of putting things off until Week 17.

Clinching early would allow Dallas to potentially lighten the load for their starters ahead of a postseason matchup against most likely the Seattle Seahawks that would take place at AT&T Stadium. Allowing him fresh legs could be a difference maker in the playoffs but Ezekiel Elliott has already proven that he will be ready and able to do the heavy lifting, regardless.

Will Ezekiel Elliott wrap up his second career rushing title this season or do you believe Todd Gurley will overtake him? Share your thoughts with Patrick on Twitter @DraftCowboys.

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