Cowboys news: Jerry Jones says Ezekiel Elliott has to be the focus of running game

Jerry Jones says Ezekiel Elliott ‘has to be the focus’ in Cowboys’ rushing attack - Mike Chiari, Bleacher Report

If Zeke is the focus of Dallas’ rushing attack, where does that leave Tony Pollard?

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stressed the importance of running back Ezekiel Elliott to the team’s success in 2022 on Saturday.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Jones said that Elliott has to be the “focus” of the Cowboys’ running game this season.

Jones also expressed his belief that “there is room” for both Elliott and backup running back Tony Pollard on the field at the same time.

Elliott has been the subject of criticism since last season, which was the least-efficient campaign of his six-year NFL career.

Although Elliott rushed for 1,002 yards and 10 touchdowns in 17 games, his 4.2 yards-per-carry average was the third-lowest of his career and his 287 receiving yards were the second-fewest of his career.

Cowboys try out former Dan Quinn draft pick DE Takk McKinley - Sean Martin, Blogging The Boys

Cowboys love their former first-round reclamation projects. McKinley could be the latest.

The Dallas Cowboys concluded their last unpadded training camp practice on Saturday, and have seen the defense make the most of it with strong play in the secondary. Next week will be the first real chance to evaluate the defensive line, which could still be a work in progress as the Cowboys worked out a new player.

Former Falcons and Browns defensive end Takk McKinley worked out for the Cowboys, according to ESPN NFL reporter Field Yates.

McKinley was the 26th overall pick in the 2017 draft, and a target for the Cowboys who took defensive end Taco Charlton two picks later. The UCLA pass rusher got off to a fast start with the Falcons, playing for current Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, with six sacks as a rookie.

Injury update: Cowboys held WR CeeDee Lamb out of team drills Saturday - K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire

With so much depending on CeeDee Lamb in 2022, this is not what we want to hear.

The Dallas Cowboys don’t have the league’s deepest WR rotation anymore. After trading away Amari Cooper and letting Cedric Wilson go to Miami in free agency, the unit is taking on a new look in 2022. It is of course spearheaded by emerging superstar CeeDee Lamb, who has over 2,000 receiving yards in his first two seasons. He will be an integral part to their passing offense as it appears Dallas is looking to support him with specialized weapons, at least until Michael Gallup returns to the field following his January ACL tear.

The main component in their plan of course will be Lamb eating up the majority of targets, but that can only happen if he’s healthy. While it’s still July and the regular season is six weeks away, any ding is noteworthy considering the circumstances. So ears perk up as Lamb is not taking part in team drills on Saturday, due to tightness.

Fortunately it looks to be just precautionary as Lamb did participate in walkthroughs later in practice.

Battlegrounds: Noah Brown with an early edge? - Kyle Youmans, The Mothership

Noah Brown asserting himself in the WR battle at training camp.

Brown made multiple grabs during the team period that raised some eyebrows. His most notable was on a fluttering pass that was tipped at the line of scrimmage, while facing Trevon Diggs in man-to-man coverage. Not only did he accurately track the ball despite a change of speed, but he reeled it in for a first down while keeping Diggs out of position.

He had another grab on an out route earlier in the day for a gain of nearly 20 yards. A few plays later he found some separation in the endzone for a 15-yard touchdown reception. Just three examples of a bundle of catches he had Friday.

Brown has long been a part of the offensive and special team units, but in a room full of young receivers or newcomers, he has entered camp determined to provide some production.

‘I need to win a Super Bowl!’ Cowboys owner Jerry Jones proclaims - Mike Fisher, Cowboys Country

Make it happen Jerry!

“I need to win (another Super Bowl),’’ said Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones as training camp opened this week here in Oxnard. “I need to win it.’’

That is both music to the ears of Cowboys Nation and nothing short of expected. The franchise has won five Super Bowls, three of them coming under Jones’ watch ... all from a quarter-of-a-century ago.

But the “but’’ is reflective of the realities of the NFL, with the vast majority of the people involved wanting, striving, needing to win.

“But,’’ Jones continued. “I’ll be candid with you: There’s degrees. I want to be fair to everybody concerned. We need to be in the playoffs. We need to be viable in the playoffs for it to be a successful season.”

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