Who is the more valuable Cowboys rookie, Dak Prescott or Ezekiel Elliott?
After Ezekiel Elliott broke a 60-yard touchdown run to effectively turn the Dallas Cowboys’ game against the Cincinnati Bengals into a blowout win, the television cameras showed owner Jerry Jones confidently pumping his fist.
Give Jones his moment. His 2016 draft looks like a huge winner.
Elliott and Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott might be the top two candidates for NFL offensive rookie of the year through five weeks, although Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz would argue. What matters more than the race for an individual award, the Cowboys are 4-1 despite some key injuries eating at their offense. Without Dez Bryant, guard La’el Collins or quarterback Tony Romo, the Cowboys won 28-14, blasting a Bengals team that has been to the playoffs five straight years. The Cowboys’ rookie duo led the way. Prescott completed 18-of-24 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions (and a rushing score). Elliott rushed for 134 yards with two touchdowns on 15 carries. He also added 37 yards on three catches.
The two are making history. According to the NFL, the Cowboys are the first team in NFL history to have a rookie quarterback with at least 1,000 passing yards and a rookie running back with at least 500 rushing yards through the first five games of a season.
Here’s a fun exercise: If the Cowboys had to pick just one of their star rookies, NFL rushing leader Elliott or precocious quarterback Prescott, who would they choose? Who is more valuable?
Elliott has been remarkably productive early in his career. He had 140 and 138 rushing yards in his two games prior to Sunday. He was great again on Sunday, even before his long touchdown run put the Cowboys up 28-0 early in the third quarter. Elliott is the first Cowboys running back to have three straight 100-yard games as a rookie, according to the Associated Press, and this is the same Cowboys team that once employed Hall of Famers Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith. He has also scored in four of five career games.
Consider this: Dorsett holds the Cowboys rookie record for rushing yards, with 1,007. Elliott is more than halfway to that mark after five games. Eric Dickerson had a remarkable 1,808 rushing yards as a rookie, and that’s the NFL record. Elliott might have a shot at breaking it. He has 546 yards this season, a pace for 1,747 yards over 16 games.
Yet, Elliott might not be the most valuable Cowboys rookie. Prescott has been outstanding at the most important position on the field. He was a late fourth-round pick, and very few late-round picks at quarterback have played well in their rookie year. Prescott has surpassed any reasonable expectation for him this season, and there’s no sign that defenses are on the verge of figuring out how to beat him.
The most impressive thing about Prescott is how he has mostly avoided any key mistakes. He has 155 NFL passes without an interception. Tom Brady threw 162 straight passes without an interception to start his career, and that’s an NFL record. Brady attempted only three passes as a rookie, so Prescott already holds the NFL rookie record for passes without an interception at the start of his career (Wentz’s streak was snapped at 134 on Sunday). Prescott has been so good that there’s a legitimate question of what the Cowboys should do when Tony Romo – who has the third-best passer rating in NFL history – is ready to return from injury.
Prescott was sharp again against the Bengals, despite not having Bryant to throw to. With a little more than two minutes left, after the Bengals had cut the lead to 28-14, Prescott calmly delivered a perfect pass on third-and-7 to Terrance Williams to keep that drive alive. It has not been unusual for Prescott to look good in pressure moments. He has looked remarkably poised all the way back to the preseason, playing like he has been in the NFL for many years. He also has the physical tools to make all the throws, or make a play with his legs when that opportunity presents itself. He had a 5-yard touchdown run against the Bengals. There isn’t a clear flaw in his game.
So who is the more valuable rookie for the Cowboys? Prescott or Elliott? The Cowboys are happy they don’t have have to choose. That combination should form the foundation of Dallas’ offense for years to come.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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