OXNARD, Calif. — Ever since the Dallas Cowboys signed Ezekiel Elliott to one of the worst running back contracts in recent history, it has felt as if a clock was ticking on his departure.
It also established a bit of training camp echo Wednesday, featuring a familiar storyline from a year ago. Something along the lines of: What can this team expect to get out of Ezekiel Elliott this season, and how much longer can it wait for him to live up to his elite salary?
The answer last season was promising early, until Elliott suffered a partially torn PCL in Week 4, triggering what eventually became a frustrating decline over the remaining three months of the schedule.