FRISCO, Texas -- Ezekiel Elliott can return to The Star next Monday with his six-game suspension coming to an end following the Dallas Cowboys' game on Sunday night in Oakland, but the coaches have not yet finalized a plan on how to get the running back up to speed.
"That's like so far away in our mind right now, getting ready for this Oakland game is what we're focusing on," offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said.
Perhaps the long flight to Oakland on Saturday will give the coaches a chance to work through the issues. Elliott has not been around the team since the Cowboys beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 5. He lost a legal ruling that would have kept him on the field and later dropped another appeal of the penalty for violating the league's personal conduct policy in July of 2016.
By rule, the coaches and front office cannot have contact with Elliott. He can speak with the athletic training staff and teammates.
"I know he's excited," tight end Jason Witten said. "I've kept up with him, text, and if there's one thing you know about Zeke through the first year and a half I've been around him is that he loves football. He loves being around. He loves the locker room. So from that standpoint I know he's missed it. And we've missed him. I know he's going to be really excited."
Alfred Morris and Rod Smith have replaced Elliott as the Cowboys' main ballcarriers. The Cowboys have averaged 120.4 yards per game on the ground without Elliott, compared to 148.3 yards per game with him.
In the first eight games, Elliott ran 191 times for 783 yards and seven touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns. He had more than 80 percent of the Cowboys rushes before his absence.
Linehan does not believe conditioning will be an issue when Elliott returns.
"He's really a world-class athlete. He stays in shape and he trains. I'm sure he's been doing that," Linehan said. "In a lot of ways it's probably the break he'll feel a little bit like he feels when he comes to training camp. He's got a little break between OTAs and training camp now. So he'll probably have those fresh legs and I'm sure he'll be ready to go. I don't know that there's any model to go by with a guy being gone for a length of time, but a lot of times if you do it right you stay in shape, it can be a benefit for you just as far as how you feel at the end of the year versus if you're playing every game."