Ezekiel Elliott goes viral after unfortunate accident at Cowboys training camp

A clip of Ezekiel Elliott going through drills at Dallas Cowboys training camp is going viral this week for an unfortunate reason. While carrying two balls through a chute with dummy arms through the middle, Elliott took a shot to the crotch, audibly cursing after the impact.

The one-time Patriot took his footballs off to the side so he could collect himself before rejoining the training session. Though playing the clip with audio makes it clear what happened to the former first-round running back, some who saw the video apparently did not get the memo.

🏈Zeke works on his ball protection 🏈#Cowboys pic.twitter.com/9jvxJIdDSq

— Bill Jones (@CBS11BillJones) August 1, 2024

Many posted comments exclaiming that the Cowboys veteran is “washed up,” because, without the audio, it looks like he was simply tuckered out by the drill. However, that was not the case.

Elliott had to go back to go forward in his return to the Dallas Cowboys and he’s ready to make the most of his second stint in the great state of Texas. He’ll begin his ninth NFL season this fall, nearing the end of a decent shelf life for running backs.

Elliott addresses his ‘shelf life’

In fact, Elliott recently referred to his shelf life and mentioned how he already beat the odds.

“The shelf life of an NFL player is three years,” Elliott said, via Jon Machota. “Every snap, every year, one more year I get is a blessing. … I think it was important for me to come back because I have unfinished business. I felt like I wanted to come back and be with my guys and take another spin at it. Right now, the focus is now, having as much fun as I can. I don’t know how many more of these I’m going to have. And just take advantage of being here and living in the moment.”

While he put up career lows last season, Elliott only started five of the 17 games played for New England and had a career-low in carries (184). He finished the year with 642 rushing yards, three touchdowns, 3.5 yards per carry, 51 catches, 313 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions.

Of all the running backs on the Cowboys’ roster, Elliott is the only one who’s played the feature back role in the NFL. Despite bringing him back for another run, Mike McCarthy isn’t planning to put the full load on the former first-rounder as he believes that wouldn’t be “fair.”

“We’re running back by committee, but I think he’ll definitely play at the level that he’s played, I know, in my time here. I anticipate that,” McCarthy said this offseason. “I don’t see any drop off in the way he moves. He’s in good shape. … He’s come in here, and he’s picked up right where he left off.”