Having played most of his NFL career for Washington, Robert Griffin III probably has no love for the Dallas Cowboys. But he’s going up to bat for Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott amid criticism.
Taking to Twitter on Thursday, the former Heisman Trophy winner admonished people for saying Elliott had “a down year” in 2021 after finishing top 10 in major categories. He said that fans need to stop pretending he didn’t improve over the year before.
“People say @EzekielElliott had a down year last year but he ranked 7th in rushing yards, 6th in rushing touchdowns, and averaged 4.2 yards per carry. They paid him to be the best but stop acting like he didn’t improve in every major stat category from the previous year,” Griffin wrote.
Plenty of Cowboys fans and even a few active NFL players showed solidarity with Griffin for this statement. But not everyone was in agreement though:
Ezekiel Elliott certainly hasn’t played up to the massive contract extension he signed with the team several years ago. But it’s silly to consider him a bad running back.
Nevertheless, Elliott needs to resume the form he had in his first few NFL seasons where he consistently led the NFL in major categories.
The longer it takes for him to resume playing that well, the sooner he can get the doubters to quiet down.
Will Ezekiel Elliott prove RGIII right in 2022?